Harry Gottlieb was born in Bucharest, Romania on September 23, 1895. He immigrated to America in 1907, and his family settled in Minneapolis. From 1915 to 1917, Gottlieb attended the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After a short stint as an illustrator for the U.S. Navy, Gottlieb moved to New York City; he became a scenic and costume designer for Eugene O'Neill's Provincetown Theater Group. He also studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design. Gottlieb was one of America's first Social Realist painters, influenced by the Robert Henri-led movement in New York City. He was also a pioneer in screen printing, which he learned while working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA).