Russell Lee (1903-1986) was a groundbreaking American photojournalist best known for his empathetic portrayal of people during the Great Depression. He stood out for his ability to connect with his subjects, capturing candid moments that revealed the human face of poverty, unemployment, and rural hardship. Technically innovative, Lee used flash photography indoors, capturing details lost in shadow. His choice to work predominantly in monochrome lent his images a timeless quality and influenced a generation of documentary photographers, including Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.