With his pictures for glossy magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, Edward Steichen (1879–1973) was one of the most influential personalities in the history of photography. He was a significant photographer and co-founder of the first gallery specialised in photography. For many years Steichen was director of the photography department of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where in 1955 he conceived the exhibition The Family of Man, which was shown at countless venues around the world.