New York

Helen Levitt, New York, ca. 1942, printed later, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.16.4, © 1981, Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt, New York, ca. 1942, printed later, gelatin silver print, image: 7 1⁄8 x 10 1⁄2 in. (18.1 x 26.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.16.4, © 1981, Helen Levitt

Artwork Details

Title
New York
Artist
Date
ca. 1942, printed later
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 7 1⁄8 x 10 1⁄2 in. (18.1 x 26.6 cm.)
Copyright
© 1981, Helen Levitt
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cityscape — New York — New York
  • Children
  • Dress — costume — mask
  • Recreation — dress up — children
  • Architecture Exterior — detail — door
Object Number
1984.16.4
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1984.16.4

Artwork Description

Caught before they run off into the streets, three masked youngsters pause on their front stoop. Expressive postures and mysterious disguises give this trio a theatrical quality. Helen Levitt, who found poetry in the uninhibited gestures of children, used a right-angle viewfinder to capture boys and girls roaming freely and playing with found objects. Working in New York City during the years surrounding World War II, her photographs show the drama of life that unfolded on the sidewalks of poor and working-class neighborhoods.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013

Works by this artist (8 items)

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Helen Levitt, Mexico City (Boys in School Yard), 1941, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.16.1, © 1981, Helen Levitt
Mexico City (Boys in School Yard)
Artist
Date1941
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Helen Levitt, New York, ca. 1942, printed later, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.16.3, © 1981, Helen Levitt
New York
Artist
Dateca. 1942, printed later
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Helen Levitt, New York, ca. 1942, printed later, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.16.4, © 1981, Helen Levitt
New York
Artist
Dateca. 1942, printed later
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Helen Levitt, New York, ca. 1942, printed later, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William H. Levitt, 1983.74, © 1981, Helen Levitt
New York
Artist
Dateca. 1942, printed later
gelatin silver print
Not on view

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