Henri Cartier-Bresson was a renowned French photographer and was considered to be the father of photojournalism.  He was an early adopter of the 35mm film format and is a master of candid photography, with a hand in developing the "street photography" style that has influenced generations of photographers after him.

Assignments for major publications took him on global travels, including China. While in China, he captured the momentous last six months of Kuomintang dictatorship as well as the first six months of the Maoist regime with his camera lens. 

Many of his works captured important moments in history and are valued as important documentation of the 20^th century. 

Cartier-Bresson held his first exhibition in France at the Pavillon de Marsan in the Louvre in 1955.