If you were to ask Carl to assess his talents honestly, he would probably be a bit shy about his photographic accomplishments. Certainly among those amazing colleagues at LIFE there were photographers who became more famous. Some, like David Douglas Duncan and Margaret Bourke-White, were swashbucklers, cutting a colorful swath wherever their assignments took them. Others, such as Alfred Eisenstadt, published major books year after year. Some were great specialists, Peter Stackpole, for instance, with his underwater photography; Ralph Morse, who "owned" the space program; Gjon Mili, a master of light and science; and Gordon Parks, whose art transcended photography into new areas of filmmaking, music, and literature. 

What Carl will never be shy about, however, is his credentials as a journalist. To Carl, journalism, the recording and communicating of history as it is made, is an almost holy mission. Words and pictures together have been his grail. 

True, others may have been more famous, or more colorful, but Carl Mydans' work has left a legacy of history for future generations that few writers or great artists could match. 

Dirck Halstead, March, 1998 
 

Many special thanks to Maryann Kornelly of TIME-LIFE SYNDICATION for making Carl's photographs available for this issue. 

If you would like to send a message to Carl and Shelley Mydans, click here.