Note from the editor:

Ninety seminal images by the world’s greatest photographers provide a stunning tour of the twentieth-century’s greatest camera work. From the first image, Heinrich Zille’s Nine Boys Practicing Handstands, to the final, Nan Goldin’s backstage portrait of transvestite performers, this generously illustrated volume explores photography’s impact on the way we experience the world.

Every major photographer is represented in double-page spreads, which feature one full-page image, a brief essay on the artist, and additional images of note. Presented chronologically, photographs testify to the evolution of an art form that is continually reinventing itself. From portraiture, photojournalism, and abstraction, to landscape, fashion, and works that transcend genre labels, the selection of masterworks presented here demonstrates the beauty of photography in all its variety.