“A good photograph will prove to the viewer how little our eyes permit us to see. Most people only see what they’ve always seen and what they expect to see. Whereas a photographer, if he’s good, will see everything.” Leon Levinstein—born on this day in 1910—is best known for his candid and unsentimental black-and-white figure studies made in New York City neighborhoods from Times Square and the Lower East Side to Coney Island and Harlem. Levinstein’s work has a graphic virtuosity, using raw gestures and monumental bodies, balancing compassion and cruelty painting with shadows and light, portraying gently and direct the inhabitants of the streets he roams. He would skulk through crowds, blend in, and observe things that others would miss. Photographing strangers at close range, Levinstein captured the back alleys of New York City framing the faces, flesh, poses, and movements of his fellow city dwellers: couples, kids, beggars, prostitutes, families, society ladies, and sunbathers. Image: Untitled, New York, 1954 from “Leon Levinstein” #Steidl #Steidlbooks #photobooks #bornonthisday #botd #LeonLevinstein