Helen Levitt, an American photographer noted for her black-and-white images of New Yorkers during the 1930s and 1940s, died in her sleep at her home in Manhattan on March 29. Levitt was 95 years old.

Born in Brooklyn in 1913, Levitt first turned to photography after dropping out of high school in her senior year. Looking for more inspirational activities, she began work as a photography assistant for...