Helen Levitt Art
American, 1913-2009
Helen Levitt often commented that the reason she expressed herself through photography was that she was inarticulate with the spoken word. One of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century among her peers but least known by the public, from a young age she wanted to create art but knew her talents with a paintbrush or a charcoal pencil were limited. She discovered a way to artistically express herself — through the lens of a camera.
Levitt was born in Brooklyn, New York. At 18, she dropped out of high school to work in a portrait photographer’s darkroom — eventually trying her hand at photography. She trained herself to take better compositions by studying paintings in museums around New York and then using her mother’s friends as practice subjects. In 1936, after discovering the works of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson she purchased her first camera and began to take pictures of neighborhood children making sidewalk chalk drawings.
Levitt took her portfolio to the studio of Walker Evans — another photographer which she admired. Struck by her thoughtful compositions and natural talent, he hired her as his assistant. She began photographing ordinary street life in the lower-class neighborhoods of East Harlem, the Lower East Side and the Garment District in New York City.
In 1939, Levitt’s photographs were published in Fortune magazine. Later that same year, she received a grant from the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Guggenheim Foundation. Seeing a similarity in film noir to what she was trying to capture in black and white photography, she became a film editor. She worked on several films including The Quiet One, an Academy Award nominee.
In 1959 Levitt began to photograph in color but eventually returned to black and white photography in the 1990s. A collection of her photographs of children and their chalk drawings were eventually published, in 1987, in a book called In the Street: Chalk Drawings and Messages. Some of her color photographs were published in Slide Show in 2005.
On 1stDibs find original Helen Levitt black and white photography, portrait photography, color photography and more.
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Artist: Helen Levitt
New York City (broken mirror)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
14 x 10 inch gelatin silver print, initialed "H.L." on verso.
From the James Agee Family Collection.
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, an...
Category
1940s Modern Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York (girl with lily)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
7 x 9.25 inch gelatin silver print. Signed, titled, and dated on verso.
Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection
Helen Levitt was a true master of...
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York (three kids with masks)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
8 1/8 x 11 inch gelatin silver print, printed later. Titled and dated by the artist on verso as "N.Y. circa 1942."
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vis...
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York (laughing women)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
11 x 13 7/8 inch gelatin silver print. Signed, titled, and dated on verso.
Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection
Helen Levitt was a true master...
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York (one boy consoling another)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
7 x 11 inch gelatin silver print - signed, titled, and dated on verso.
Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection
Helen Levitt was a true master of ...
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
James Agee
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
This is a vintage silver gelatin print, from the James Agee Family Collection. Levitt and Agee were close friends, and over the years Levitt gifted a number...
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York City (striped socks)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
12 x 8 inch type-c print, signed on verso.
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiveness transformed the gritty world of New York C...
Category
1990s Modern Helen Levitt Art
Materials
C Print
New York (woman with milk bottles)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
11 x 6 7/8 inch gelatin silver print - signed, titled, and dated on verso.
Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection
Helen Levitt was a true master...
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York (consoling woman)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print. Image size 7.25 x 10.75 inches.
Signed on verso
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiveness tr...
Category
1930s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Children with Broken Mirror, New York
By Helen Levitt
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and dated on verso
Image 11" x 8", Paper 14" x 11", Matted 20" x 16"
Category
1940s Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
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Previously Available Items
New York ("Spider Girl")
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Located in New York, NY
This work is one of Helen Levitt's most iconic color images, and one of only five images made as dye transfer prints. The image size measures 9.25 x 14.25 inches, and the print is si...
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1980s Helen Levitt Art
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By Helen Levitt
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N.Y.C. (Button to Secret Passage)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
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New York (rolling record)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
14 x 11 inch gelatin silver print, signed by the artist on verso.
10.75 x 7.5 inch image size
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1980s Helen Levitt Art
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New York City (cops and robbers)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiveness transformed the gritty world of New York City’s poorer neighborhoods into captivating,...
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1930s American Modern Helen Levitt Art
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Silver Gelatin
New York City (woman reaching out)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print (image size 5.6 x 8.25 inches)
Signed on verso.
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiveness ...
Category
1930s American Modern Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York City (broken mirror)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
20 x 16 inch gelatin silver print, signed on verso.
This is one of only a handful of prints of this iconic image that were printed in this larger size. It was usually printed in a 14...
Category
1940s Modern Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
New York City (3 kids with masks)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print, 1939 (printed later)
Signed on verso
Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiveness transforme...
Category
1930s American Modern Helen Levitt Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Helen Levitt art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Helen Levitt art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Helen Levitt in silver gelatin print, c print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Helen Levitt art, so small editions measuring 7 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Weegee, Lucienne Bloch, and Robert Capa. Helen Levitt art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,500 and tops out at $12,500, while the average work can sell for $8,500.