Elinor B. Cahn (1925–March 20, 2020) was an American photographer. Cahn, who became a photographer later in life, was known for her photographs of street and neighborhood life in East

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

Early life and education

Cahn was born in Baltimore to parents Ralph Bonwit and Leona Frank. She married Charles M. Cahn Jr. at the age of 19. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she volunteered as an ambulance and truck driver for the Red Cross. It was not until after the war that Cahn began her art career. As a student at the

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, it is regarded as one of ...

, she took a class on social documentary. She began to document her neighbors as part of the class, in a project that would eventually become the ''East Baltimore Documentary Photography Project''. Numerous photographs from the project would be acquired by the Smithsonian Museum and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Career

Her work is included in the collections of the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

, the

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...

and the

Jewish Museum of Maryland The Jewish Museum of Maryland is located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The museum tells the story of the American Jews, American Jewish experience in the city of Baltimore and throughout the US state of Maryland. Description The museu ...

. She was often invited into the homes of her subjects, where she would photograph them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cahn, Elinor 1925 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American women photographers 20th-century American photographers Photographers from Maryland American street photographers Artists from Baltimore Maryland Institute College of Art alumni 21st-century American women