Originally formed as a diverse artist enclave and bohemian work-live rental studios to financially support Andrew Carnegie's struggling concert hall, Sherman's home from the 1940s until 2010 allowed her to be part of a unique artistic community of neighbours.

Her life's work consists of thousands of portrait images of celebrities, writers, poets, models, sports heroes, politicians, and many others (including many of the famed former tenants of Carnegie Hall), taken with a large format 8×10 camera.

He died at the age of 50 years, after suffering blindness and diabetes, leaving Editta with five young children to bring up as a single mother.

In November 1967 Kodak Films sponsored a solo exhibit of Editta's celebrity portraits in a three-week public show at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

Sherman lived in Carnegie Hall until July 2010 and continued to work there until September 2010, having become an icon for renter's rights and affordable housing for the elderly in fighting eviction against the City of New York, the current owner of Carnegie Hall.