Jaffee, N. Jay, 1921-1999

N. Jay Jaffee, also Nathan Jaffee, (born New York City 1921-died Huntington, NY 1999), born to Isidore and Anna Jaffee, N. Jay Jaffee was raised in various Brooklyn neighborhoods, from Brownsville to East New York to Brighton Beach. After a difficult childhood, and the death of his mother when he was 15, he left school to work as a typesetter. In 1947, fresh out of the army, recently married, and struggling to reconcile his experiences of war with the society to which he returned, Jaffee picked up his camera. He had been an infantry squad leader during World War II and had seen heavy combat in Europe. Initially photographing was a catharsis, a means of affirming life in contrast to the irrational destruction of war. By rejoicing in and recording the humor and warmth of the social community—people in pursuit of their daily lives—he was able to transform the fear and horror that had remained as a legacy of war.

Jaffee started photographing the Brooklyn neighborhoods in which he grew up. Manhattan also beckoned, as did Queens, and eventually Long Island. His work captured the movements and shadows of the city streets, subways, signs, markets, and the people who inhabited them. His formal training came after he had been photographing for some time. He attended classes taught by Sid Grossman, of the legendary Photo League, and met with Edward Steichen, then curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art. Steichen offered encouragement and requested three prints, which became part of the museum’s permanent collection. In 1950, two were included in the group show “Fifty-One American Photographers.”

While raising a family—he had two daughters, Anna and Cyrisse, with his wife Isabel—and working in the printing industry, Jaffee continued to photograph in the classic black-and-white format. Jaffee eventually moved to Huntington, Long Island. Although he had always photographed nature, his later work included more landscapes and, through his travels, the sights and sounds of Europe.