Written and published in 1907, "The Last Leaf" is set in Greenwich Village, a lower Manhattan neighborhood in New York City. Greenwich Village is often associated with artists, bohemians, and the political left, an association built in large part during the early 20th century. At this time, the Village was home to a collection of writers, journalists, and artists who were attracted to its low rent and dynamic, multicultural atmosphere.
The early 1900s also marked the beginning of a seismic shift in the art world to which Behrman, Johnsy, and Sue belong. In the visual arts, a number of new styles were introduced—like, for example, Cubism and Futurism. Art like Mr. Behrman’s realistic portrait of the last leaf was on its way out of vogue, as artists began to favor more experimental techniques.
During this period, the United States was also undergoing an unprecedented wave of European migration in response to worsening economic conditions on the European Continent. A large portion of people living in New York City in 1910 were either immigrants or their American-born children. Mr. Behrman therefore would have been one of many immigrants who came to settle in less expensive neighborhoods like the Village, creating an exciting melting pot of cultures.
But the conditions in less affluent parts of New York City at this time were also quite difficult and dangerous. Sue, Joanna, and Mr. Behrman would have likely had unheated apartments with poor sanitation. Poor living conditions made New York City a hotbed of disease in the early 20th century. Over 20,000 New Yorkers would die during the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918, not long after the events of "The Last Leaf." Those not killed by the flu outright often died of complications from pneumonia, which is the illness at the center of "The Last Leaf." The best treatment for pneumonia is usually an antibiotic treatment, but reliable antibiotics were not developed until the 1930s, so the illness had a very high mortality rate in the early 1900s. For this reason, pneumonia was a very serious diagnosis—consequently, the stakes of illness in the story are very dire.
