About this artwork
Helen Levitt was already becoming known for her photographs of working–class children at play in the streets and empty lots of New York City when she made a trip to Mexico City in the summer of 1941. Unlike other photographers who had taken inspiration from Mexico—such as Tina Modotti, Paul Strand, and Edward Weston—Levitt made no contact with local artistic circles and did not document political slogans, native culture, or Mexican landmarks; rather, as in her previous work, she focused on the gestures of people in the street. This photograph is one of a sequence of three showing children playing in a crumbling road; this one emphasizes the accidental violence of a contorted pose.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Photography and Media
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Artist
- Helen Levitt
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Title
- Mexico
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1941
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Medium
- Gelatin silver print
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Inscriptions
- Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, on second mount, upper left, in graphite: "HL 126"; signed and inscribed verso, on second mount, upper center, in graphite: "Helen Levitt / Mexico 1941"; verso, on second mount, center, in graphite and black ink: "* [in graphite] 71 [in black ink/in rectangle]"; verso, on second mount, lower left, in graphite: "024.011.4.99"; verso, on second mount, in graphite: "-"
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Dimensions
- Image/paper/first mount: 15.5 × 24.3 cm (6 1/8 × 9 5/8 in.); Second mount: 15.8 × 24.8 cm (6 1/4 × 9 13/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Purchased with funds provided by Robin and Sandy Stuart
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Reference Number
- 2013.135
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
