New York
Helen Levitt
American, 1913–2009
1971
A color photograph—printed here as a dye-transfer print—that quietly captures an elderly woman and her dog on a New York stoop, with Levitt aiming to honor the small, everyday dignity of urban life.
You’re struck by the woman's worn floral dress and lined hands holding the leash, while the warm, muted colors and tight framing render the ordinary street corner intimate and quietly compassionate.
An example of Levitt’s pioneering street photography in color, this image helped expand documentary practice by showing how color and close, human observation could elevate fleeting urban moments into thoughtful, painterly subjects.
Medium
Dye transfer print, printed 1991
Dimensions
8 × 12" (23.9 × 35.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Levitt
Accession
184.1992
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
