Waiting
New York & Beyond • 1948
Atta Boy
Summer Camp • 1946
Hoop Dee Doo
New York and Beyond • 1949
Merry Go Round
Coney Island • 1951
Cadillac
Abstracts • 1956
Vintage photo of Martin Elkort

About the photographer

MARTIN ELKORT

Martin Elkort (American, b. April 18, 1929 – d. November 19, 2016) was born in New York and grew up amidst the Great Depression. He took his first professional photograph at the age of 10 while on a car trip with his family in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun purchased his photographs of submerged cars during a flood and at that point, he was hooked on photography.

At the age of 15 Martin came down with polio and spent 4 months in the hospital. When he returned home, his parents bought him his first Ciroflex, a twin-lens reflex camera, that cost them about a week’s salary at the time. After his recovery, he set out around Manhattan taking pictures of whatever interested him.

About the Work

THE PHOTOS

The majority of photographs in the collection were shot circa 1945-1956. Many during this era were taken during Martin's membership in the New York Photo League. His more recent works, shot in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas and Mexico, continue the style of street photography that has made Martin Elkort’s photographs unique and endearing to many generations.

THE BOOK

Children: Behind the Lens by Martin Elkort is now available for purchase. This 9 x 9 inch offset print photography book will make a wonderful addition to any photographer’s book collection as well as anyone who enjoys experiencing the world through a child’s joyful eye.

THE VIDEOS  

DOCUMENTARY
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Martin Elkort roamed the urban landscape of New York City with his camera in search of the perfect picture. His indelible images of simpler times remind us that the human experience can be a joyous one. Poignant and insightful, his photographs reflect the Great American Melting Pot in all its unpolished glory.

PHOTO NARRATIVES
Enjoy these YouTube productions with slideshows of the photographs and voiceover narratives as seen through the eyes of Martin Elkort.

"A beautiful photograph, like a beautiful poem, always contains a mystery, an elusive and haunting nucleus that makes us return again to probe its depths, hoping to winnow yet another insight. The mystery is often in plain sight but its meaning may be obscured with the passage of time."

– Martin Elkort

Collection

The Photographs

You can review the archive of photos by selecting from the following categories

Blog Posts

ARTICLES

2nd Street and 2nd Ave Snowstorm-1948
Musings
Stefani Twyford

2nd Street and 2nd Ave Snowstorm -1948

The iconic city of New York bundled up in a blanket of snow, a reminder of a simpler time. This vintage photograph shot by Martin in 1948, takes us on a journey through the bustling streets, now quiet and still.

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Uncategorized
Martin Elkort

What Photography Means

(Remarks given during the opening of Martin Elkort’s one-man show at the Barry Singer Gallery, Petaluma California in February of 2006) I’d like to take a few minutes to talk

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Musings
Stefani Twyford

A Visit To Georgia O’Keefe

In 1959 Martin Elkort visited artist Georgia O’Keefe at her Ghost Ranch home and studio. Martin was living in Santa Fe at the time and working as an art editor

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Martin Elkort on Photography
Martin Elkort

Confessions of a Street Walker

Featured in Rangefinder Magazine (January 2007) Why Street Photography? Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, famously replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” If asked why he or

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Martin Elkort on Photography
Martin Elkort

About the New York Photo League

View, positive, depth, focus, develop. Those words have special meanings for photographers, as they had to Martin Elkort when he joined the Photo League of New York in 1947. The

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All photographs and writings on this website are owned and copyrighted by Martin Elkort and may not be used without the the expressed and written consent of Martin Elkort.