The human condition.
It’s perhaps our favorite subject matter in the world of photography, and it’s global.
There is sense of familiarity and history, cross culturally, when you see a photograph that makes you relate in a deep personal sense.
The richest mine for the subject matter of humanity is, of course, the city.
Any city. Every city
The great masters of this genre express their deep love and care for their fellow man, woman and child.
One of our favorites is Helen Levitt. Know as “the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time,” she photographed New york City ina way that encapsulated the times of her life.
If you wore batman mask, a princess outfit, or any other character on halloween, the children depicted in this, one of her more famous images, goes deep into a common core.
Who can’t see past the masks of these kids and tell a version of a story? Maybe from their own childhood?
photo © Helen Levitt

One of her other photographs forever in our brain, is this shot of the woman carrying 2 bottles of milk.
It is reminiscent of another photo from one of her admiring contemporaries, Henri Cartier-Bresson. The proud boy carrying the wine, always matched up for us with with young woman and the milk. N’est pas?

© Helen Levitt and © Henri Cartier-Bresson/MAGNUM
Photographing mainly in Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York, Helen Levitt left us an emotional legacy of a city she loved.
The children, without having much, told us everything. The adults were living a life that not only made do, but made strong.

One of our most watched photographer films is a 12 min one made by Helen Levitt, James Agee,and Janice Loeb called In The Street. 12 minutes of the children of of NYC in the 1948

In the Street (1948) by Lost_Shangri_La_Horizon

This week, we are very happy to offer this book Helen Levitt, as the free giveaway.

A great compilation, even if you know her work. You’ll see new images presented here, including some of her later color work.
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