Martin Elkort
Children: Behind the LENS
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Martin Elkort roamed the streets 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. Elkort was particularly drawn to the raw innocence of the children inhabiting the streets of New York, and later his current home, Los Angeles. Poignant and insightful, his photographs capture their curiosity and vigor as they explore the urban landscape. With an introduction by Anne Wilkes Tucker, Curator Emerita of Photography at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, this 69 page study of childhood features 62 of Elkort’s most intriguing black & white images of children punctuated with his eloquent reflections on photography and his creative process. This 9 x 9” 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.
Educated at The Cooper Union, Elkort was also a member of the renowned New York Photo League where he studied under, and shared darkrooms with Aaron Siskind, Lou Stoumen and Sid Grossman, among others. He became adept at what he refers to as ‘stealth photography.’ With his camera strapped around his neck, he walked peering down into the 2×2 inch ground glass of the camera. He developed the skill of walking right up to a person and taking their photo without them even realizing it.
After marrying in 1953, he moved away from street photography in order to support his growing family. He journeyed back to it when he retired and found a growing interest not only in the Photo League, but in his own work as well.
Martin Elkort’s work is widely exhibited and can be found in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The US Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Jewish Museum in Brooklyn, The Columbus Museum of Art as well as many corporate and private collections.
Children: Behind The Lens
Street Photography Capturing the Essence of Childhood
by Martin Elkort
$35.00 each plus shipping and handling
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Ray Anello ∼
"The book arrived yesterday. I grew up in an intense street world in the Bronx. A working class immigrant Italian neighborhood. Mr. Elkort's photos bring that whole experience back. He clearly knew and loved the streets. As do I looking at his photos and remembering them."
David Schulman ∼
"Martin Elkort’s humanist point of view is one that is very much needed in today’s chaotic world. Through Martin’s lens focused on children. we see the world through the child’s eye and thereby recapture moments of our own forgotten youth. "
Peter Fetterman ∼
"This beautiful book gives one a renewal of hope. In an era where it seems so many photographers are obsessed with taking photographs of themselves, it is so refreshing to see image after image exuding the common humanity that connects us all."
Collection
The Photographs
You can review the archive of photos by selecting from the following categories
- ALL
- Abstracts
- Coney Island
- Downtown LA
- Early 2000s
- Lower East Side
- New York and Beyond
- ORT 1951
- Summer Camp 1946
- Tijuana 2002
Blog Posts
ARTICLES
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.
Visual Recorders of Time
March 01, 2009 — 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
Photo Retouching Family Photos
Back before Photoshop became a photographer’s de facto digital manipulation software, Martin Elkort became enamored with the art of hand coloring his family photographs. He was fortunate that his parents
