Why is Margaret Bourke-White a legend in the field of photography?

       Margaret Bourke-White was born in New York City on 14th June, 1904. She became interested in photography while studying at Cornell University. She first gained recognition as an industrial photographer based in Cleveland, Ohio, where she specialized in architectural photography. Margaret later joined Fortune magazine as a staff photographer. She made several trips to the Soviet Union, and in 1931, published ‘Eyes on Russia’. In 1936, Bourke-White joined Life Magazine, and her photograph of the Fort Peck Dam appeared on its first front-cover.

       During her unique career, Bourke-White was torpedoed in the Mediterranean, attacked by the Luftwaffe, stranded on an Arctic island, bombarded in Moscow, and pulled out of the Chesapeake when her chopper crashed. She was the first Western photographer to document Soviet industry. It was after the revolution. She was in Czechoslovakia and other Balkan states just before Hitler moved in to ignite World War II, to prepare a travelogue. She was stationed in Moscow just before Germany bombed its former ally.

       Margaret’s photographs are in a number of museums. Her mastery of the medium, her daring, cleverness, and knack of being in the right place at the right time has all made her a legend among photographers.