David Levinthal (American, b.1949) is a fine art photographer with a diverse body of work, often focusing on populist aspects of American culture and myth. Working primarily in large-format Polaroids, Levinthal stages narrative scenes using dramatic lighting and small toys such as Barbies and plastic cowboys. Born in San Francisco, CA, Levinthal went on to receive his BA in studio art from Stanford University in 1970, his MFA in photography from Yale University, and an SM in management science from MIT in 1980. It was while a student at Yale that he first began incorporating toys into his photographs, explaining that it was his desire to recreate the sensation of childhood play.

Levinthal is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Prix du Livre de Photographie in 1997, a National Endowment for Arts fellowship in 1990–1991, and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1995. His work can be found in the public collections of institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Chicago Art Institute, among others. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions worldwide, including at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Galeria Javier Lopez in Madrid, Stella Holm Gallery in New York, and many others.