Martin Elkort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Edward Elkort
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| Born | April 18, 1929 |
| Died | November 19, 2016 (aged 87) |
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| Known for | Street photography |
| Spouse(s) | Edythe Spiel Elkort |
Martin Edward Elkort (born April 18, 1929 – died November 19, 2016) was an American photographer, artist, and writer. He was best known for his amazing street photography. This means he took candid pictures of everyday life on the streets.
Martin Elkort's photos are shown in many famous art museums in the United States. His work often appeared in galleries and big magazines. His early black and white photos show the lively Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York City. They capture its diverse people, busy streets, and crowded alleys. The Coney Island amusement park in Brooklyn was another favorite spot for his photos. Later, he photographed street scenes in downtown Los Angeles and Tijuana, Mexico. Throughout his long career, Martin Elkort always showed the happy and positive side of life in his pictures.
Contents
Early Life and First Camera
Martin Elkort was born in the Bronx, New York City. He grew up during a tough time called the Great Depression. When he was 15, he got sick with polio and had to stay in the hospital for four months.
After he came home, his parents gave him his first camera. It was a Ciroflex, a special type of camera. It cost them about a week's pay, which shows how much they wanted to support him.
Becoming a Photographer
Martin Elkort took his very first professional photo when he was only 10 years old. He was on a car trip with his parents to Baltimore. During the trip, he took pictures of streets that were flooded.
The Baltimore Sun newspaper bought his flood photos. One of them was even featured on the front page! After he recovered from polio, he started exploring Manhattan. He took pictures of anything that caught his eye.
Elkort was part of the New York Photo League from 1948 to 1951. This was a group of photographers who focused on showing real life. He also helped start the Los Angeles League of Photographers (LALOP) in 2002.
Learning "Stealth Photography"
While studying at New York City's Cooper Union School of Art, Elkort joined the New York Photo League. This group was a big part of the documentary photography movement in America. There, he learned from famous photographers like Paul Strand and Weegee.
He became very good at what he called "stealth photography." He would walk around with his camera, looking down into its screen. He learned to walk right up to people and take their picture without them even noticing! His goal was to capture the hopeful and innocent feeling of the time after World War II.
Meeting Edward Steichen
In 1948, Elkort showed his photos of Hasidic Jewish boys playing in the streets to Edward Steichen. Steichen was a very famous photographer and a curator at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Steichen didn't like his photos at first. He told Martin his skills were "no better than the other 35 million amateur photographers."
Martin felt sad but he was determined to get better. He worked very hard to improve his photography. Two years later, he met Steichen again. This time, the famous curator bought three of Martin's photos for the museum's collection! These photos were "Soda Fountain Girl," "Puppy Love," and "The Girl With Black Cat." All of them were happy pictures of children at Coney Island.
Capturing New Beginnings
Around 1951, Elkort took photos of Jewish immigrants learning new job skills. They were at the Bramson ORT School in Brooklyn. These pictures show their hopeful journey to fit into a new society after very difficult times. Some of his photos showed people who had survived tough events, now learning new jobs like sewing and tailoring.
In 2008, Elkort gave 33 of these old ORT photos to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C..
Later Work in Los Angeles
When Martin turned 70, he received a digital camera. This made him excited about photography again! He started showing his new and old photos in galleries across the country.
In 2002, he helped create the Los Angeles League of Photographers (LALOP). This group was like the New York Photo League. Its goal is to show people how important photography is for understanding society and art.
As of 2014, Elkort's work is shown in many places. You can find his photos in the permanent collections of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. They are also in The Jewish Museum (Manhattan), the Columbus Museum of Art, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
As an Author
After he retired from the travel business in 1996, Martin Elkort wrote two books. One was called Getting from Fired to Hired. The other was The Secret Life of Food. He also wrote many articles for photography magazines.
Personal Life
In the 1970s, Martin and his wife Edythe owned a travel agency in Beverly Hills, California. Many Hollywood stars were their customers!
In 1976, Martin and his friend Murray Vidockler started a group called the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH). This group worked to make it easier for people using wheelchairs to travel. They helped improve access on buses, at airports, hotels, and other places.
Collections
Elkort's work is kept in these important collections:
- Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin - Austin, TX
- The Los Angeles Public Library - Los Angeles, CA
- The Columbus Museum of Art - Columbus, OH
- The Norton Museum - Palm Beach, FL
- The Jewish Museum - New York, NY
- The Museum of the City of New York
- Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY
- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
- The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
