Tir A'mhurain. Outer Hebrides

One of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century, Paul Strand (1890-1976) was born in New York City and went on to study under Lewis W. Hine before becoming a commercial photographer in 1912, following Alfred Stieglitz in his commitment to 'straight' photography. In 1933 he was appointed chief of photography and cinematography in the Secretariat of Education in Mexico. After 1942 he concentrated on still photography for his records of life in many parts of the world.

This presentation copy is inscribed by Paul Strand to Mohamed Ouda and his wife. Ouda (1920-2006) was an Egyptian thinker and writer. He was one of Egypt's staunchest Nasserists whose motto in life was 'You never own anything. It is things that own you' - a motto which earned him the title of 'the Egyptian Gandhi'.