Leiter was born in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . His father was a renowned teacher of the Talmud and Saul himself studied to become a Rabbi. His mother gave him his first camera when he was 12 years old. At 23, and having developed an early interest in painting, he decides to drop his theology studies and move to New York City to become an artist.
Leiter was lucky enough to meet the painter of the abstract expressionist school, Richard Pousette-Dart. It was the latter together with the photographer W. Eugene Smith who encouraged Leiter to continue on the path of photography.
In 1948 he began taking color photographs. His work as a fashion photographer over the course of 20 years has been published by various major print outlets including Show, Elle, British Vogue, Queen, and Nova.
The collotype was a photomechanical printing procedure (in graphic arts workshops). Conceived in 1856 by Louis Alphonse Poitevin , it was later perfected by Joseph Albert , for which reason it also spread under the name of Albertipo .
On a matrix made up of a glass plate, a layer of photosensitive emulsion made up of bichromate gelatin was spread, which was subjected to firing, and then impressed by contact with the original photographic negative. The gelatin became more insoluble in the transparent areas thereof. In this way the ink was more easily absorbed in those transparent areas.
This procedure allowed a limited number of 500 copies to be thrown ; because the gelatin deteriorated during the printing process, and sharpness was lost.
Among the photographers who used this system for print runs, Alfred Stieglitz can be mentioned.
Size: 8" x 10"
