It wasn't until Jim Steinhardt was thirty years old that he picked up the camera. Up until that point he made his living as a photographic retoucher at a New York advertising agency, a venue which proved to be stifling. That was in 1948. His vision paralleled the creed of the Photo League, seeking a pure vision of the social landscape in the concrete construct that fortifies the arena that is New York.

His work came to recognition early on in his career. In the June 13, 1949 issue of Life Magazine published a total of 12 images. The coverage focused on the everyday tales and banters of children in the streets. Unaware of their documentor, the off-guard snippets allow the viewer to revel in their simple and often whimsical dealings, as well as their antics. It was in that same time period that Steinhardt was included in a group show at the Museum of Modern Art, plus a three-man exhibition with Arnold Newman and Tosh Matsumoto at the Photo League.

Through the following decade, Steinhardt's work would continue to gain notoriety to a modest extent. Jacob Deshin, the late photo editor of the New York Times, occasionally reproduced Steinhardt's work in his columns as well as in his book Seeing with Your Camera. In 1955 a number of pieces were initially selected for the "Family of Man" show by Eduard Steichen and Dorthea Lange. To his grave disappointed, the work was curated out of the now famed exhibition in a last minute show change.
Since that time Jim Steinhardt has owned and operated his own gallery and has taught as a Professor of Photography at three different colleges on Long Island.

Having sold his gallery in 1993 and retired to Florida, Steinhardt's work, in recent years, has rekindled an interest amongst the savviest in the photographic community. Initially classified as "Street Photography" in the 1940's, "Documentary Photography" in the 1950's, 60's, and into the 1970's, Jim Steinhardt's pieces are currently deemed as "Fine Art Photography." His work's due justice has been seen in only the last few years, some of the most formidable collectors of photography in this country having taken a shine to his images. As it stands, Jim Steinhardt's photographs are included in such esteemed public collections as the Museum of Modern Art, Houston, TX, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY, the Jewish Museum, New York, NY, and the Museum of the City of New York, New York, NY.

This exhibition will feature work from two separate essays. The first is in homage to the working man, Witness to the Working Man: Man on the Street, an array of images featuring men in their occupational arena—the streets of New York. The second essay Witness to Childhood exudes the charm of playful, sensitive, and often inquisitive nature of children.