ELLIOTT ERWITT, Family, c. 1970, 13.5x10.25" Gelatin silver print, Printed c. 1970, Title and other annotations in ink and pencil on print verso. Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos credit stamp, Magnum Photo Library Print stamp, two printing stamps.

Erwitt liked to make joyful photographs, such as here in the face of chaos in a family kitchen.

Elliott Erwitt's (b. 1928) photographs of everyday life, beach scenes, celebrities, children and dogs have delighted viewers for decades. His superb sense of humor coupled with a deceptively casual photographic technique inspired the eminent photography curator John Szarkowski to remark that Erwitt is "one of the few photographers whose work is also identified by extraordinary wit."

Elliott Erwitt was born in Paris and was eleven when the family fled Europe on the last boat to leave free France, relocating in New York City and later California. Edward Steichen gave Erwitt his first commercial job in New York, and in the 1940s and 50s he established himself as a leading magazine photographer. His friendship with Robert Capa resulted in his joining the Magnum Agency in 1953 after he got out of the army. His photographic books include the comprehensive monograph, Personal Exposures. Erwitt currently lives in New York City.

Fair. Edge wear, handling marks, tears/cracks in the emulsion, staining.