Cover | Saul Leiter Footprints c.1950

Hobonichi

Saul Leiter Footprints, c. 1950

With this techo cover, you can carry around a photo by American photographer and painter Saul Leiter (1923-2013).

The piece is called Footprints, and it captures a diagonal view of steps in the snow that form dotted lines. A red umbrella appears in this otherwise black and white world. This single photograph captures a brief moment of dramatic beauty amid daily life, and we’ve trimmed the shot to fit the size of the techo cover.

As Saul put it, “I take photographs in my neighborhood. I think that mysterious things happen in familiar places. We don’t always need to run to the other end of the world.”
(Source: All About Saul Leiter)

Saul was born in Pittsburgh in 1923. At 23 years old, moved to New York to be a painter. Developed an interest in photography when he met Richard Pussett Dart, an abstract expressionist painter who began using photography to create his experimental work. In the ’50s he began work as a fashion photographer in New York. From the ’60s to the ’80s, he provided photography for magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vogue (UK Edition), and more. In 1981, he closed his studio in New York’s 5th Avenue and distanced himself from commercial photography. He then proceeded to quietly take pictures around the neighborhood of his East Village apartment, producing photography that he didn’t show anyone.

In 2006, German publisher Steidl published his first photo book entitled Early Color. The incredible composition and sense of color in his works took the world by storm. At the time, he was an anonymous photographer over 80 years old, and overnight he became a household name.

The back pocket of the cover features a piece entitled Horn & Hardart, c. 1959, named after the shop whose window is pictured on a rainy day. And just as Saul once said, “A window covered with raindrops interests me more than a photograph of a famous person,” seeing this cover is sure to spark your imagination.

The cover interior and “butterfly stopper” pen holders are a chic black, with bookmarks that have red charms to match the umbrella in the photo. The cover beautifully preserves the original photo and offers a stylish way to carry it around with you.

This Saul Leiter cover embodies the appeal of focusing on a brief moment in an otherwise normal day, and you can enjoy your year ahead with this beautiful print.

Footprints, c. 1950
Horn & Hardart, c. 1959
(c)Saul Leiter Foundation