helen_levitt rt In the 1930s and '40s, Levitt would wander the streets to document the lyrical quality of daily city life. In an era of social radicalism, she set out to make commentary on the plight of the working class. But after seeing the photographs of Cartier-Bresson for the first time, she realized that photography could be art, and that realization informed her work for the rest of her life. James Agee described her portfolio as "a major poetic work." In fact, "poetic" is how her photos are most often described. Rather than capturing pithy moments, Levitt told timeless stories with vignettes of children playing, of people crammed into phone booths, of roosters in the street. She lived a quiet, modest life, and died peacefully in her sleep. But her legacy has a long life ahead. 090503 ... cr0wl the poet of the pavement, she turned a world of strangers into our extended family. 090503 what's it to you? who go blather from