Born in Bensonhurt, Brooklyn, Helen Levitt was a self-taught photographer who dropped out of high school and went to work as a commercial artist.  She never stopped working, spending the next 60 years capturing some of the strongest and most memorable images of New York City street life.  Below is just a small sampling of her work:

1938

1938

1940

1940

1940

1959

1971

1972

1980

1988