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.
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...
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...
C Print
'Tennis Legends' 1980 Silver Gelatin Print
Located in London, GB
'John McEnroe' 1981 Silver Gelatin Print by Watfiord / Mirror Group Archives. Wimbledon 3rd Day: John McEnroe. June 1981 The famous tennis star icon won at the All England Club championships that year, finally beating his long term rival Bjorn Borg...
Silver Gelatin
$1,340
H 30 in W 40 in
Spectator Tennis (1938) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Spectator Tennis (1938) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) 1st December 1938. Spectators watching a tennis match at a country club. Addi...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Zermatt Skiing, 1968
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Skiers in Zermatt, Switzerland, March 1968. Slim Aarons Zermatt Skiing 1968 C print (Printed later) Estate signature stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of au...
C Print
$1,340
H 30 in W 40 in
Nude Portrait - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Nude Portrait - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) A woman poses for a nude studio portrait. Additional Information: Unframed Paper Si...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Dasha & Mari - Tennis - limited edition
By Dasha & Mari
Located in London, GB
Dasha & Mari - Tennis - limited edition 30x30" inches oversize C print - numbered and stamped limited to 100 only. Sumptuous, sensual with erotic undertones, this is a beautiful fine art image from the twin artists duo from Kiev. Steeped in fashion iconography and with more than a dash of Helmut Newton - these works are fast becoming collectable. About the artists : DASHA & MARI are award-winning photographers, twin sisters from Kiev, Ukraine. Specialise in Fashion, Art Nude and Psychological Portrait. They have an extensive experience in fashion industry in London, Paris, Milan and Berlin. Art photography they create has a cinematic feel, it is original and storytelling. HEARST Magazines UK have selected them for the Master's Photography program in Cambridge, UK. Artists have received a Masters Degree from Kingston University, London, UK in 2018. HONORS & AWARDS PARIS PHOTO 2018, Fashion Nude Expo. Collective exhibition. Paris, France MA Art + Design Exhibition The Brick Lane Gallery, London UK 2018 13th Annual Black & White Spider Awards 2018 - Nominee in Fine Art The Game 12th Annual Black & White Spider Awards 2017, Beverly Hills, CA - Winner in Fashion category 11th Annual International Color Awards , Beverly Hills, CA 2017 - Nominee in Fashion category HOME GALLERY, Personal Photography Exhibition 'FUTURO EROICO'. Salerno, Italy 2017 10th Annual INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS 2017, Beverly Hills, CA - Winner, Honorable Mention in Fashion category FASHION 2ND PLACE WINNER (PROFESSIONAL), FAPA 2016 FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS PHIFEST Exhibition of Photography, Milan, Italy 2016 Photography Exhibition at SALONE DEL MOBILE 2016 - Milan, Italy Photography Exhibition at 55th annual week of Design in Milan in co-operation with SM Samuele Mazza Outdoor Collection and Ipe Cavalli. Exhibition at The ART BOWL GALLERY, Amsterdam 2016 10th Annual Black & White Spider Awards 2015, Beverly Hills, CA - Nominee in Fashion MONOCHROME AWARDS 2015 - Honorable Mention (Professional) in Fashion / Beauty Finalists of the HASSELBLAD MASTERS AWARDS 2014 8th Annual INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS, Beverly Hills, CA - Nominee in Fashion category International Color Awards 2014 Sony World Photography Awards - Shortlisted in the Fashion category 2012, London, United Kingdom. Solo Exhibition in Russia 2011 Art Nude Photography Exhibition 'SECRET GARDEN', Ryazan city, Russia. PUBLICATIONS & PROJECTS NORMAL magazine (France), OPENEYE magazine (France), ELLE Magazine UK, THE COMMISSION LONDON (UK), THE HUFFINGTON POST (US), PH Magazine (Canada), INSIDE BRACKETS (Paris), IDOLL Magazine (USA), Professional Photographer (UK), CHIC LIFESTYLE Magazine (Mexico), BOREALIS (Canada), PORTFOLIOS Magazine (Spain), The View Magazine (Netherlands), ZEPHYR Magazine (US), NOCTIS Magazine (UK), VOGUE ITALIA (Italy), HOLISTIC FASHIONISTA (LA, US), TARTARUS Magazine (US), IT-MAGAZINE (Switzerland), AFTER NYNE Magazine (UK), ARCHIDESART Magazine (UK), NIF Magazine, WHY NOT Magazine, POLISART Magazine (Portugal), PLAYBOY Photo Awards (Ukraine), BIZZARE Magazine (UK), Sensual Photography...
C Print
$1,580
H 60 in W 40 in
Ballerina Split (1970) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Ballerina Split (1970) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) Side view of a prima ballerina, standing in a split, with a row of 8 backing da...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Hip Hop, Galveston, TX
By Earlie Hudnall Jr.
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 3 Signed, titled and dated in pencil on print verso Earlie Hudnall, who is one of the most notable African American photographers living today, has extensively documented...
Silver Gelatin
$1,340
H 30 in W 40 in
Ski Jumping (1964) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Ski Jumping (1964) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) A man skiing downhill and jumping into the air, circa 1964...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$7,500
H 46 in W 37 in
Large Color Chromogenic Photograph C Print Candy Counter Michael Eastman Photo
By Michael Eastman
Located in Surfside, FL
Michael Eastman (American, born 1947) "Candy Counter" Chromogenic color print (C Print) Bears label en verso hand signed, titled, dated, edition 3/5 Depicting a classic Americana candy counter, candyland at an Art Deco theater, Dimensions:. sight h. 36", w. 26.5". Frame h. 46.375", w. 37", d. 2". Published in book 'Vanishing America' by Michael Eastman of abandoned, derelict places in California and elsewhere. Vanishing America includes haunting images of the insides of iconic architectural buildings, such as Main Street cinemas, French Quarter houses, and Memphis hallways. Michael Eastman has established himself as one of the world's leading contemporary photographic artists. The self-taught photographer has spent five decades documenting interiors and facades in cities as diverse as Havana, Paris, Rome, and New Orleans, producing large-scale photographs unified by their visual precision, monumentality, and painterly use of color. Eastman is most recognized for his explorations of architecture forms and the textures of decay, which create mysterious narratives about time and place. Eastman's photographs have appeared in Time, Life, Art in America, Art News, Art Forum, Communication Arts and American Photographer, and they reside in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and other prestigious institutions. His books include Havana (2011, Prestel), Vanishing America (2008, Rizzoli) and Horses (2003, Knopf). Select Group Exhibitions Edwynn Houk Winter Show Lillian Bassman, Valérie Belin, Sebastiaan Bremer, Zana Briski, Elinor Carucci, Lynn Davis, Michael Eastman, Elliott Erwitt, David Maisel, Abelardo Morell, Vik Muniz, Matthew Pillsbury, Jessica Wynne...
C Print
$1,354
H 30 in W 30 in
Simca Aronde (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
By Thurston Hopkins
Located in London, GB
Simca Aronde (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Thurston Hopkins/Picture Post/Getty Images) 1st October 1956: Two models posing in a cutaway Simca Aronde at the Paris Mo...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$1,340
H 40 in W 30 in
Medicine Man (1934) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Medicine Man (1934) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) Native American, Cacique medicine man San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, USA circa...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
N.Y.C (New York City)
By Michael Andreas Russ
Located in San Francisco, CA
This photograph titled "N.Y.C (New York City) 1974 is an original gelatin silver print by famous German photographer and artist Michael Andreas Russ, born 1945. It is signed, titled and dated in the back by the artist. The photograph size is 14 x 11 inches, framed is 20.75 x 16.75 inches. It is framed in a wooden dark brown frame. it is in excellent condition. About Michael Andreas Russ. Michael Andreas Russ (born January 1945 in Berlin) is an German/American photographer, photo designer and film director. Russ' career as a photographer began in New York in the late 1960s where he photographed his fellow acting students. Self-taught, he eventually moved to his own studio off Union Square, Manhattan and connected with the local underground art scene. Photograph by Russ was published on the cover of “Art Direction Magazine of Visual Communication” with a Gertrude Stein quotation: “The composition in which we live makes the art which we see and hear” In his early years Russ focused on men's fashion magazines and erotic sequential photographic scenes for Playboy Press books. He eventually experimented with distinctive photographic techniques, turning 35mm black and white film into chemically toned, masked, solarized and hand colored, one of a kind silver gelatin prints. These 'TinTones' as Russ would call them eventually became the trademark of his work. They were published in popular fashion and lifestyle magazines and brought him international recognition in the art world. His work was published in major fashion, lifestyle and avant-garde magazines, GUNNARS, Mode International, Mode Avant Guarde, PHOTO Magazine, Zoom (photography magazine), as well as German Playboy (magazine), Photo Reporter and cover art to IL Magazine. He also contributed sequential 'sujets de chambre' to Vogue magazine His erotic postcard edition "The Compagnie" became part of the permanent collection of the Musée des arts décoratifs de Paris...
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...
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 ...
Silver Gelatin
New York ("Spider Girl")
By Helen Levitt
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...
Dye Transfer
New York City (boys dancing)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
This 14 x 11 inch gelatin silver print was printed in the 1980s, and is signed on verso. Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiven...
Silver Gelatin
James Agee, King Street apartment
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...
Silver Gelatin
James Agee
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
This is a mounted vintage silver gelatin print, from the James Agee Family Collection. Levitt and Agee were close friends, and over the years Levitt gifted ...
Silver Gelatin
N.Y.C. (5₵ Soda)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
Helen Levitt made her images of children's chalk drawings early in her career. The prints she produced were traditionally small in scale. In 2000, she and our gallery launched a proj...
Silver Gelatin
N.Y.C. (Button to Secret Passage)
By Helen Levitt
Located in New York, NY
Helen Levitt made her images of children's chalk drawings early in her career. The prints she produced were traditionally small in scale. In 2000, she and our gallery launched a proj...
Silver Gelatin
Poster Girl, NYC
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,...
Silver Gelatin
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 Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inven...
Silver Gelatin
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,...
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 ...
Silver Gelatin