Rebecca Lepkoff

Rebecca Lepkoff was born in 1916, grew up on the Lower East Side, and started photographing her native city when she bought her first camera in 1938. Her photographs for the next three quarters of a century show a strong sense of light and capture the rhythm of the street. She was an active member of the Photo League (from 1947 to 1951), which was devoted to recording the urban reality of New York City. Members believed that by documenting the human condition, the photograph could be a powerful instrument for social change. However, in 1947 during the McCarthy era, the attorney general listed the Photo League as a communist organization, and by 1951 it was dissolved. Lepkoff continues to lead an active life as a photographer.