Deborah at Tante Esther’s

Saul Leiter

1947

Image

Photograph of woman sitting at the end of a table in front of open doors, wearing a scarf and covering her face with tea cup. — Saul Leiter was known for his photographs of street life in New York City and for his pioneering work in color photography, but he also took more intimate pictures of his family and friends. This photograph was shot early in his career, soon after he arrived in New York. He often photographed his younger sister Deborah, whom he considered his muse.

Credits

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 9.

The Vienna Coach

The antiquarian who spends his time amid his old things may well have his moments of despair. He probably asks himself more than once: “What is the use of all these antiques, while…

View Source

Wood-carving of a man in skullcap examining an object in his hands.

A Jewish Tailor

A Jewish Tailor is one of Mark Antokolski’s earliest sculptures, created while he was still a student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. The work appeared in an era of liberalization of tsarist…

View Source

Textile with central panel of building with domed roof, side panels of candelabra, and border of Stars of David.

Carpet Depicting Rachel’s Tomb

This carpet was one of the many decorative objects with biblical themes produced at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts. This design features the legendary burial site of the biblical matriarch…

View Source

Engage with this Source

Creator Bio

Saul Leiter was an American painter and photographer, one of the first to work in color photography. Born in Pittsburgh, Leiter began studying at a rabbinical school in Cleveland, but soon changed course, moving to New York at age twenty-three to pursue a painting career. In New York, he befriended a number of fellow artists who inspired him to experiment in photography. Leiter worked for fashion magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, all the while taking personal photographs that transmuted the bustling urban environment of Manhattan into quiet meditations on color and form. His work has recently enjoyed renewed popularity with the publication of a monograph in 2006, as well as an award-winning 2012 documentary.