W. Eugene Smith, Welsh Miners. Wales, 1950. Digital print on 10" x 7.5" glossy photo paper from the Magnum Photos archive. W. Eugene Smith © Magnum Photos in lower right corner. Fine condition (with small imperfections). In 1950, LIFE magazine sent W. Eugene Smith to cover the British election between incumbent Labour Party Prime Minister Clement Attlee and resurgent former Conservative Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This striking image of three generations of Welsh miners, mired in hopelessness and poverty, symbolized the forgotten people whose lives Attlee’s policies sought to improve. His election in 1945 had ushered in broad social welfare programs across Great Britain. While Attlee narrowly defeated Churchill for a second time in 1950, his victory was short-lived. Deciding to call new elections a year later, Attlee lost to Churchill and the Conservatives in 1951. And the Welsh miners lost their champion. Describing the photograph, Smith later recounted: “I had my assistant call out to them. That’s why they had the quizzical faces. They turned. I think I made two quick exposures and that was it.” "When a good picture comes along, I shoot it. Later I may find a better variation of the same shot, so I shoot all over again." - W. Eugene Smith. W. Eugene Smith’s membership with Magnum may have been brief, spanning the years 1955-58, but his work left left a deep impression on many of Magnum’s photographers, as it has upon the practice of photojournalism generally. Smith is regarded by many as a genius of twentieth-century photojournalism, who perfected the art of the photo essay. One of the most influential photographers of the 20th century along with other photographers of his time such as: Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Steichen, Robert Capa, Alberto Korda, Elliott Erwitt, Philippe Halsman, Diane Arbus, Eve Arnold, Robert Doisneau, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Steve McCurry, Andreas Gursky, among many others.