New York

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Helen Levitt’s views of New York City neighborhoods dating from the late 1930s and early 1940s earned her recognition as a pioneer of street photography. Levitt’s early images record Spanish Harlem, the Lower East Side and other poorer neighborhoods at a time when, with most homes lacking televisions, residents spent many hours outdoors. The incisive juxtapositions that she captured on film are characterized by their warmth and lyricism. These same qualities are evident in photographs Levitt made upon returning to neighborhoods she had explored earlier after she had used her 1959 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship to become proficient with color film. Levitt ably recorded a range of humanity, and showed particular interest in documenting children’s interactions.

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