William Eugene Smith was born in 1918 in Wichita, Kansas. Smith worked as a war correspondent for Flying magazine (1943-44), and a year later for Life. He followed the island-hopping American offensive against Japan, and suffered severe injuries. Smith worked for Life again between 1947 and 1955, before resigning to join Magnum. Smith was fanatically dedicated to his mission as a photographer. His legacy lives on through the W. Eugene Smith Fund to promote ‘humanistic photography’, founded in 1980, which awards photographers for exceptional accomplishments in the field.