New York
Helen Levitt
American, 1913–2009
1971-74
A dye transfer print by Helen Levitt that quietly records a young woman at a tenement window, turning an unguarded, everyday gesture into a small, poetic witness to city life.
You first notice the warm amber wash and the horizontal bars of the window framing her sideways glance and fingertip to her mouth, while the reflected facades outside fold into the interior to create a layered, intimate scene.
This example of Levitt’s mature color work helped expand documentary photography by showing how color and careful composition could render fleeting street moments as lyrical, emotionally rich studies of urban life.
Medium
Dye transfer print
Dimensions
12 7/8 × 19 1/16" (32.7 × 48.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the artist
Accession
325.1975
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
