The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 14, 2025
Girl with Polio, Rivington St., Lower East Side, NY
1938, printed later
(American, 1919–2006)
Image: 17.3 x 22.3 cm (6 13/16 x 8 3/4 in.); Paper: 18 x 23 cm (7 1/16 x 9 1/16 in.)
Gift of the Rosenblum Family 2017.80
Location: Not on view
Description
Taken at the height of the Depression when Rosenblum was 19, these images depict a world he knew intimately. One of five children of immigrant parents, Rosenblum grew up in a three-room flat with no hot water in one of the tenement buildings that filled New York’s Lower East Side, not far from Rivington and Pitt Streets. Because the apartments were small and crowded, much of life was lived on the street, providing ample material for Rosenblum’s camera. His photographs demonstrate the humanity and courage of individuals who survive, and even experience joy, in stressful environments.- From Riches to Rags: American Photography in the Depression. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 13-December 31, 2017).
- {{cite web|title=Girl with Polio, Rivington St., Lower East Side, NY|url=false|author=Walter Rosenblum|year=1938, printed later|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.80