Magnum Photos | Magnum Photo Agency

Founding Members: Robert Capa, Henri Cartier Bresson, David Seymour and George Rodger

Magnum Photos was created as a photographic cooperative, a departure from conventional practice, in an attempt to safeguard photographers' freedoms, by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier Bresson, David Seymour (Chim), and George Rodger. Though always a commercial venture, Magnum was created as an "endorsement of the subtlety and potential of photography when practiced by gifted individuals". It was, in the words of Lee Jones, former Bureau Chief, Magnum, New York, "a mirror of the times in which it lives".(2) Its photographers believed that the relationship between content and form was fragile and easily betrayed, that the way in which a subject was portrayed could change the emphasis and meaning.

At the time of Magnum's formation, "the emphasis was initially on reporting, reflecting in part a commonality of painful experience and a curiosity and hope for a newly reopened world", Lee Jones described the early days of Magnum as a time when people really believed you could make the world a better place. In its early years, primarily to supplement the members' incomes, and to provide a stable of potential members, Magnum would sign on other photographers to work. as 'stringers' or contributors. A Magnum photographer first became a nominee, then an associate member, and finally a full member.

Previous to its inception, many magazines however supportive of its' photographers, would crop the individual's point of view to suit the corporate image of the magazine; allowing others to choose the image, however, diminishes the photographer's capability, while corrupting his intended meaning by creating a different visual context from the moments originally perception. The above founder members had a healthy disregard for commercialism, since they wished their photographs to keep a 'moral purpose', reflecting their 'personal visions' of the world. They knew how easily photographs were used to convey untruthful messages. Their responsibility was to document what was happening, and what was about to happen, being directly opposed to making photos to cater for the media's needs. They knew what they needed as photographers and had a commitment to total independence, keeping all copyright to their photographs within the agency. All rights now remained with the photographer; his captions must accompany the photograph, and there would be no re-cropping, a photograph could only be produced once under a legal agreement.

The safeguarding of rights helped Magnum photographers to survive financially, allowing them to spend a great deal of time working on major stories, either on assignment or on their own initiative, then sell their work to support themselves and their future ventures. A percentage of earnings was put back into the agency to support new members.

This is how Chim explained the existence of Magnum: "We knew the staff position on a picture magazine was not the best solution to our creatives needs and problems. Our original aspiration was to enlarge to ten members, and then remain at that size, limited in numbers as an exclusive photo club. Very soon 'exclusive' disappeared. We found out that was not what we wanted. We were quickly confronted with the problems of young, talented photographers who came to show their work, asking for advice, encouragement and help. We understood Magnum would fail if it continued to close its doors against new talent. We began to absorb some of this young talent. Some of the new members liked the idea of working together, while others stayed but a short time. We kept growing".

In the early days a photographer had a clear cut advantage, since large areas of the world had never been photographed, and they were able to photograph virtually everything; there was a ready market for their work. The mistake was in thinking it would last. Magnum photographers were provided with an independent base and a human warmth' from which to work. They were free to choose their own subjects; they sold their photographs to a wide market of magazines including 'Life', 'Paris Match', 'Holiday' and 'Ladies' Home Journal'.

Cartier-Bresson photographed in India at the time of Ghandi's assassination, and in the Far East; Chim was in Europe for UNESCO, while Capa was 'at large'. Capa's work involving women and children in Soviet Russia was published, uncensored, in the 'Ladies' Home Journal', in February 1948. Chim's 'Children of Europe' was included in 'Life' magazine, 27th December, 1948. During the same year there was a Magnum group project - 'people are People the World Over' - which was published in 'Ladies Home Journal', which ran monthly for a year.

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Mark Riboud | Henri Cartier Bresson | Josef Koudelka | Elliott Erwitt | Bruce Davidson | Eva Arnold and David Hearn

Magnum photographers had several advantages since, after the war, (1939-1945), there were few freelance photographers who had a global knowledge and relevant experience. Magnum had a size-able number of these including some of the most gifted. They had travelled widely, spoke several languages, were mobile, and had a large number of contacts. One of the main advantages was the charming personality and energy of Capa, their leader. He was said by George Rodger to be able to 'snuffle out a story like a truffle hound'; he knew many writers and editors, and was adept at making big - money deals. Capa was killed in action while photographing in Indo China in 1954, whilst Chim was killed two years later.

Despite these setbacks Magnum still survived. There followed a difficult decade or so when younger photographers 'suffered very much from the severeness'. Intense, personal disagreements and confusion about the agency's future arose. John Morris provided some stability after Capa's death, while executive editor; he said that they had not had a really good idea since the death of Capa. Capa's brother, Cornell, joined in 1956 and was made president, while Rodger and Bresson still provided some of the guidance. In 1957 Mark Riboud undertook a four month trip to China, the first Western photographer to visit the country for eight years; Burt Glinn was in Japan, Russia and Mexico, having special issues in 'Holiday' magazine, Brian Blake's colour story on the monsoon in India grossed 75,000 dollars for Magnum. Eva Arnold covered the Black Muslims in the USA.

By the late 50s Magnum had eighteen members, and the new generation that followed confronted new realities. There was the advent of television, dissatisfaction with magazines and the moral dilemmas posed by political reporting. The lucrative market for photojournalism was slowly disappearing; directly opposed to Magnum's moral beliefs, many photographic opportunities arose in the commercial market which was expanding. These were undertaken by a few photographers with their roots in Magnum, and had it not been for this work the agency could have folded. One such photographer, Elliott Erwitt, earned as much as 5,000 dollars a day in advertising compared with about 350 dollars for photojournalism. Some commercial work was undertaken due to domestic circumstances.

At the beginning of the 60s there was a tremendous sense of foreboding, a sense of 'almost impending battle', and many photographers jockeyed for position to be on the field when it happened. They were turbulent years - civil rights demands in America and South Africa and famine in Biafra; unrest in the Far East, and America had become involved in a debilitating war in Vietnam. Magnum reporters embarked upon a number of major reportage's: Vietnam war - Riboud in the north, and P. Jones Griffiths, Donald McCullin and others in the south, Bruce Davidson and Leonard Freed - the American Peace Movement, and civil rights; Bruno Barbey - the Six Day 'War.

As important as its examination of these historic events, has been Magnum's perspective on the lives of ordinary people on the periphery. David Hearn photographed strip clubs and the then little known 'gay' community; Bruce Davidson integrated with teenage gang members in Brooklyn (1959); there were glimpses of the lighter side of human experience, from 'small town America to Hollywood', and from the 'Ganges to the Welsh valleys'.

In 1962 the Sunday Times published a colour supplement which was an important new market for Magnum photographers, and Leonard Freed, Eva Arnold, Bruce Davidson, Bruno Barbey and Josef Koudelka were among those who contributed. Barbey's photographs of the French student revolution ,sold for a cover to 'News-week' magazine in March 1968, Koudelka's photographs of the Russian invasion of Prague were sold to 'Look* magazine for a fee of 20,000 dollars, after being smuggled out of the country. Also in 1968 Magnum released a book entitled 'America in Crisis, which was an enquiry into the state of a nation. Magnum photographers were more than just witnesses to history, they were interpreters of it. Their work was an 'active testament' of the social and economic problems present in the world.

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In 1967 Philip Jones Griffiths, a self announced socialist, went to Vietnam to take photographs which resulted in the publication of a book entitled 'Vietnam Inc.' His photographs were in total sympathy with the Vietnamese, showing them as victims of America's imperial stupidity, and his book was a 'searing, sarcastic indictment' of American involvement. His photographs were somewhat unpopular in Washington, and thus difficult to get published.

War photography has always raised questions of photographic ethics-where photographers choose to take photographs rather than help to save a life, or comfort a victim. These photographs, however, ensure that people see the suffering and understand the distress, and overall they help to contribute to the world's understanding by stimulating its conscience. As difficult as the situation may be, there is a reason for taking photographs. When George Rodger covered the liberation of Bergen-Belsen after the second world war, he found himself arranging the bodies of the dead into aesthetic, photographic compositions. From this participation he had a moving realization of what he was doing, and this was to be the end of his war photography.

A concerned environmentalist, Bruce Davidson (Magnum) was extremely worried about the state of society in the 60s. He was shocked by situations of social deprivation taking place in the shadow of American Congress' mass expenditure on the space programme. He was wary of American main stream culture. A classic essay he produced was 'East 100th Street', in the late sixties, which was an expose of harsh living conditions. He photographed families living in a tenement block in Spanish Harlem, New York.These tenement people appear poor but not destitute, living in sparsely furnished rooms, but just as many of these families appear amongst television sets and consumer goods. The photographs portraying these families are both elegant and tender. He would ask where 'they' wished to be photographed, and as the result of his relationship with them he became an active part of street life.

The people in his photographs appear almost apathetic, waiting without hope, spiritually dormant, having been shocked into a state of disbelief by their ruined environment, Davidson says: "Most of my photographs are compassionate, gentle and personal. They tend to let the viewer see himself. They tend not to preach. And they tend not to pose as art". Davidson and the tenement people were enduring a period where the * flowers of evil appeared in full bloom'. Remotely, these people are direct descendants of the 'Family of Man' exhibition, but they appear less glamourous and hopeful, however, this essay was somewhat difficult to publish due to lack of interest by magazines, and only appeared in the European arts magazine 'Du', and possibly because magazines were going out of business at that time. In 1970 his major documentary, over two years' work, was finally published by the Harvard University Press.

A major patron 'Life' magazine folded in 1972, and Magnum found the demand for photojournalism again in decline. Commercial work again carried the agency through difficult years with some photographers earning up to $500,000 a year. Many channelled their personal work into book form, having a total control over picture usage. While pursuing commercial work, they would also carry a second camera for their own personal photography. Compromises have kept Magnum afloat, but still cause much debate.

Magnum is returning to its 1947 status, and ambitious reportage's, perhaps more than ever, are being undertaken throughout the world including Gilles Peress' long term project in Northern Ireland, which he has undertaken for the last two decades; Sabastiao Salgado*s 'Archaeology of Industrialism', Steele Perkins' look at 'The Effect of Modernization in Africa', London based Peter Marlow's 'Thatcher's Britain', and Abbas' 'Investigation into the Islamic World'.

Assignments and contracts with magazines such as 'Sunday Times' 'French', 'Geo Independent' and the 'New York Times', have shown a revived interest in Magnum's work. Its concerned photographs have the greatest power, through these magazines, to show the world their causes and their compassion. There is still the renewal of old battles involving picture usage, where the editor may overrule the picture editor's choice, but somewhere a compromise must be reached. Magnum no longer dominates the market of colour work for magazines, and now has vast competition. It makes respectable sums through library sales (from its archives) and book sales.

Magnum has done "considerably more than survive, and considerably more than exude an aura of adventure and strong personalities. Its photographs have largely succeeded in being both witnesses to an age and its interlocutors, in sharply articulating their individual insights, reflections and doubts concerning far-flung worlds in the creation, definition and enlargement of their medium. In the history of photography, the sustained breadth, diversity and inventiveness of the best of their visions, realized over forty years constitutes among the richest of legacies and, if one is so inclined, greatest of challenges".