Graffiti, New York

Well-known for her images of children's street graffiti, Helen Levitt, pursued the theme as a subject in her work from the mid 1930s into the mid 1940s. At this time her circle of friends included Evans, James Agee and Ben Shahn, who shared her interest in the documentary and particularly vernacular imagery. In 1938 after his one-man-show at the Museum of Modern Art, Levitt accompanied Evans on his trips into the subway to make his series of portraits. During this period Levitt would borrow Evans' Speed Graphic and is believed to have shared a darkroom at some point. Because of their close working habits, their works from this period have been confused and in particular images of graffiti, a subject that resonated for both.