Latest book from the series “How I Got Here” using photographs and other ephemera as a memoir of my parents, my sister Martha and me, and my adult years as a social documentary photographer.
My mother, Ada Winston
During the 1920’s my mother made her living as a dancer and singer for several Broadway productions and nightclubs. After she married my father in 1941, she encouraged my sister Martha and me to perform on stage, providing us with dancing and music lessons throughout our early childhood and teenage years.
Ada was highlighted in a local weekly Broadway publication showcasing her talents as a dancer and singer.
My father, Anthony B Cataldo
As an immigrant from Italy, Tony grew up in Brooklyn and enjoyed sailing along the east coast with Ada and friends. He made his living as an attorney in New York City.
Mima and Martha
We posed for our first head shots with a commercial photographer.
Until we were teenagers, Martha and I usually dressed alike.
Mima, Ada and Martha perform at the Community House in Forest Hills NY, and sing “The Wreck of the Ole 97”, a favorite of my mother’s.
As teenagers, Ada continued to provide us with head shots.
As teenagers, Martha and I began to express our rebellious tendencies.
How I Got Here
Sample pages from my latest memoir “How I Got Here” (Edition One Press, 2025). This project explores significant moments in my parent’s lives, the early years of my sister Martha and me, and my adult years when I became a social documentary photographer alongside careers in academia and libraries and motherhood.