Ruth Orkin masterfully captured private moments unfolding in public places in her career as a photojournalist and magazine photographer. Orkin shot celebrities, musicians, and the denizens of New York City, Italy, and Israel for publications including LIFE, the New York Times, and Cosmopolitan. Her photographs were frequently exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art after she showed her first major photo essay “Jimmy the Storyteller” (1947) to Edward Steichen, the then Director of the museum’s Department of Photography. Orkin was, herself, an American Girl in Italy (1951) when she snapped her iconic photograph while on assignment working on a series about women traveling alone in post-war Europe. She is also known for a series of photographs she took from the window of her East 88th Street apartment, documenting changing seasons and events like parades and marathons. These photographs were compiled in the acclaimed book, A World Through My Window (1978).