Richard Avedon was born in New York in 1923. From a young age, Richard had taken an interest in photography joining the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) camera club when he was only 12 years old. He got his education at DeWitt Clinton High School which was located in the Bronx and in 1941 was named Poet Laureate of New York City High Schools. He joined the armed forces to fight WWII in 1942 as a "Photographer’s Mate Second Class in the U.S. Merchant Marine". He left after two years and pursued his career as a professional photographer shooting models and fashion on the streets, nightclubs, beaches, the circus, and other exotic locations.