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Helen Levitt

(Brooklyn, New York, 1913 - 2009)

New York

1938 (printed 2000)

Gelatin silver print

30 1/4 x 34 1/8 in. (77.0 x 86.6 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Knight Purchase Fund for Photographic Media

2009.17

© Film Documents LLC, courtesy Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne

More Information

In 1937, Levitt briefly taught art to children in a program funded by the Federal Art Program. Walking through East Harlem on her way to the school, Levitt’s eye was caught by the children’s chalk drawings on the walls and streets and decided to preserve them through photography. She admired the drawings for their economy, inventiveness and the complex issues they addressed. This bit of graffiti is particularly surreal, yet also very real in its indication of the desire to escape the cares of daily life.

Keywords
Children's play
United States
Black and White
New York
Photography