Paul Strand was an American photographer and filmmaker born in New York City to Bohemian parents. He studied with Lewis Hine and through a visit organized for his studies he met Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen. Their gallery inspired him to experiment further in photography, leading to experiments in abstraction, such as Wall Street (1915).

Strand also worked in film, producing work such as Manhatta (1921). His later return to photography was chronicled in six geographical books and contained significant work. Strand left the United States in 1949 to present work at an international film festival and remained outside of the US until his death 27 years later. Although never officially a member of the Communist Party, many of Strand’s friends and collaborators were members and were deeply affected by McCarthyism in the US.