From the foreword: "The question as to whether photographs are documents or works of art has never existed as far as the great photographers are concerned. For the artist, there is no contradiction between a work of art and a document. Every successful work of art—in whatever medium it was created and whatever it may portray—is always simultaneously a document. In the best work the two aspects are found in varying proportion and coexisting together. Every work of art demonstrates through masterly technique the degree of exploratory inquisitiveness and aspects of inspired vision and perception. The examples of photographic art that have been brought together in our catalogue extend from the generation of the inventors William Henry Fox Talbot, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre and their respective circles. They are pictures that we have gathered together in the last few years especially for this festive occasion. The photos in this catalogue are our HOMAGE to the most important new medium of the last 150 years: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PHOTOGRPAHY!"