Photojournalism emerged as a distinctive form of photography in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The term denoted picture making that was spontaneous, topical and rapid. This was facilitated by the introduction of small, hand-held cameras such as the Ermanox and the Leica, which enabled photographers to record fast-moving events and catch their subjects unawares. Meanwhile, political turmoil and the rise of mass-circulation news stimulated a huge demand for illustrated magazines. Picture Post, Life and Vu were all established at this period. Picture agencies expanded and new professions evolved – not just that of the photojournalist, but also the picture editor and agent. The V&A’s photography collection has recently been enriched by two important gifts of mid-20th century photojournalism. John and Judith Hillelson have given a large body of work and Ben Shneiderman has given a group of photographs by David Seymour (‘Chim’), through the American Friends of the V&A. About forty photographs from these two gifts have been selected for display by art historian David Alan Mellor, this year’s V&A/University of Sussex Research Fellow. To show how the photographs may have appeared in print, a selection of photo-stories is also on display. A smaller selection of the photographs on display in the gallery is shown here in four thematic sections that address key topics in mid-20th century photojournalism: Celebrity, Politics, Citizens and Modernities.