Magnum Photos

an international cooperative agency of photographers, the purpose of which is the distribution of its members’ work to the press.

Magnum was founded in Paris in 1947 by H. Cartier-Bresson, R. Capa, and D. Seymour. Among its members are the best professional press photographers in Western Europe and America. In its early years, the agency held independent views and photographs by its members were noted for their antifascist and antiwar sentiments. As Magnum Photos grew in size, commercial photography became its chief activity. Magnum’s headquarters relocated to New York and American illustrated magazines became the principal buyers of its pictures.