Swiss-born Werner Bischof (1916-54) was an outstanding photojournalist of the post-war years. When his career was cut short by his untimely death, aged 38, in a car accident in the Andes, he was a member of the prestigious photo agency Magnum, and his work was sought after by numerous international news magazines.

Claude Cookman earned a doctorate in the History of Photography from Princeton University before working as a journalist for 18 years. Since 1990 he has taught History of Photography at Indiana University.