Early Life, Family and Training Born on 10 November 1880 in New York City, Epstein entered a world of significant struggle. The son of Jewish immigrant parents, his early years were marked by the heavy realities of financial instability and the physical toll of illness. These formative hardships did not deter his focus; instead, they seemed to sharpen a sense of purpose. Between 1893 and 1898, he sought formal direction at the Art Students League of New York, where he began to develop the foundational skills that would define his later career. The pull of the European tradition eventually l…