Stock Photos: Buy the Book

Beginning in the 1950s, Magnum photographer Dennis Stock recorded a vivid array of urban subcultures that were just beginning to grip the popular imagination, from Harlem jazz musicians to the Village Beats—not to mention ad men and movie stars (he followed James Dean across the country, taking memorable portraits like the one above). This month, Reel Art Press remembers his work with American Cool. "He wanted to capture the human essence, had no interest in the obvious, and most of all, he hated condescension," says Michael Shulman, Magnum’s current director. "Stock approached everything and everyone with honesty, like a poet."

Photo: © Dennis Stock/Magnum Photos