Great Black and White Photographers Part 2

Helen Levitt

Birthday: August 31, 1913

Date of death: March 29, 2009

Birth Place: Bensonhurst, New York

Levitt dropped out of high school and worked for a commercial photographer. While teaching art classes to children she became interested with chalk drawings on the sidewalk done by the children of New York at the time. In the late 1940's Levitt made two documentaries, James Agee: In the Street, and The Quiet One. She received an Academy Award nomination for The Quiet One. Most of Levitt's photos portrayed children playing, the errands and conversations of the middle-aged, and the waiting of the old. Levitt's photos treated the streets like they were a stage and those who were photographed were the actors and actresses. In the book Helen Levitt, the photographer releases her most esteemed work from her New York photos and from when she worked in Mexico city. Levitt shot mostly in poor areas because there were more children playing in the street and there was a street life that was more visually appealing. 

http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Helen-Levitt.html

https://www.lensculture.com/articles/helen-levitt-helen-levitt-new-york-streets-1938-to-1990s