Pinstriped Suited Man

Leon Levinstein, American, 1910 - 1988

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20th century

Gelatin silver print

Image: 13 1/2 × 10 3/8 in. (34.3 × 26.4 cm)

Sheet: 14 × 10 7/8 in. (35.6 × 27.6 cm)

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Scott Osman, Class of 1980

© Estate of Leon Levinstein, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

PH.2002.31.3

Geography

Place Made: United States, North America

Period

20th century

Object Name

Photograph

Research Area

Photograph

Not on view

Inscriptions

Stamped, on reverse, in black ink, lower right: [in rectangle] LEON LEVINSTEIN; inscribed, in graphite, above stamp: SO-LL-10

Label

Levinstein’s Pinstriped Suited Man shines light on the inherent anonymity of city life. Known to us only by his dress, the photograph’s subject is about to cross a busy Manhattan street. Head down, hands in his pockets, he pays no mind to the approaching traffic; Levinstein thus captures him, midstride, in determined motion. His suit, tailored and refined, marks him as an urban professional, one of many suited men in the city. The use of black-and-white film further limits the viewer’s ability to distinguish this “pinstriped suited man” from other commuters. In this sense, his suit serves as an emblem of the elusiveness of individuality within modern society.

From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 125, Chasing Modernity: Fleeting Moments and Elusive Urbanity, curated by Ellie Brown ’25, Conroy Intern

Provenance

Osman Family Partnership; Scott Osman; given to present collection, 2002.

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