Buckingham Fountain by Night

Photographer Gordon Coster made a decision in 1923 to pursue a photographic career without ever finishing high school. Within a short time, his work was exhibited alongside that of Steichen, Man Ray, Sarra and Bodin. Coster worked throughout the 1930s as an advertising photographer and, on his own time, photographed events and social issues that interested him, documenting the rise of labor unions, strikes, protests and civil rights rallies. During World War II, Coster shifted gears to documentary photography and freelanced for Life magazine, his work focusing on industrial developments and their subsequent effects on society and and culture. In 1955 fellow photographer Edward Steichen honored him by selecting one of his images for inclusion in the now legendary "Family of Man" exhibit and accompanying book. Mr. Coster retired from his forty-year photographic career in 1964.