The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2024

New York

New York

c. 1942
(American, 1913–2009)
Image: 11.3 x 17.3 cm (4 7/16 x 6 13/16 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.)
© Film Documents LLC, courtesy Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne
Location: not on view

Description

A traditional way to cool off from the New York City summer heat without leaving the neighborhood is to open the nearest fire hydrant and frolic in the spray. This practice, which goes back to the late 1800s, was usually initiated by residents, often children. It has perils: lowered water pressure makes it difficult to fight fires, and the runoff can flood basements. Helen Levitt here captured the bond between a young girl, overwhelmed by the excitement and cold water, and her mother, to whom she comes for comfort.
  • Hinson, Tom E. "Notable Acquisitions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 78, no. 3 (1991): 63-147. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 102 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 222
    Tannenbaum, Barbara. “A New York Minute: Take a look at street photography between 1920 and 1950.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 61, no. 2 (Spring 2021): 24-26. Reproduced: P. 26.
    "Ashcan School Prints and the American City, 1900-1940.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 61, no. 1 (Winter 2021): 46. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 46.
  • A New York Minute: Street Photography, 1920-1950. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 11-November 7, 2021).
    Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007); Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (October 3, 2009-January 3, 2010).
    Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 24, 1996-February 2, 1997).
    Notable Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 15, 1991).
    CMA, June 7 - September 15, 1991: "Notable Acquisitions," CMA Bulletin, 78 (June 1991), p. 102, repr.
    Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Nov. 18, 1995 - Jan. 15, 1996: 'Hikari no kotoba': "Joji Isutoman Hausu Korekushon" ten (Language of Light: Masterworks from the Collection). Exhibition catalogue fig. 89, p. 139.
    CMA, November 20,1996 - February 2, 1997: "Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art."
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (6/24/07 - 9/16/07) and Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittburgh, PA (10/3/2009 - 1/3/2010); "Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art", no exhibition catalogue.
  • {{cite web|title=New York|url=false|author=Helen Levitt|year=c. 1942|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.134