Early Life and the Seeds of Social Consciousness Benjamin Shahn was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1898, a time of immense social upheaval and political unrest for Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. This early exposure to hardship and injustice would profoundly shape his artistic vision. His family emigrated to the United States in 1906, settling in New York City’s Lower East Side, a vibrant melting pot teeming with immigrant life but also marked by poverty and exploitation. Shahn's father, a metalworker, instilled in him a strong work ethic and an appreciation for craftsmanship, while wit…