Dr.Erich Salomon (1886-1944) was commissioned regularly by Eleanor Treacy for FORTUNE magazine, an effective contrast to the Industrial Sublime of Bourke-White and William Rittase. His small scale portraits of the banalities and petulencies of international diplomacy, and of ordinary people caught unaware were a telling reminder of the relationship between individuals and economic forces. He had first come to public attention with photographs for the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung often called 'Candid Camera' exercises. Salomon was an international phenomenon in the photography of the 'Thirties, equipped with colossal nerve, an arm in plaster, briefcases with secret controls, and other sneaky devices. He sold pictures of the unwary, and even, when detected, seemed to trade in his chutzpah and celebrity to get out of trouble.

The story goes that his work for Tatler, the British Society magazine, had drawn him to the attention of the FORTUNE staff. Certainly by the early 1930's his work was everywhere, but at its best on FORTUNE's admirable paper stock in sooty black richness.

He had started working with an Emanox, the first camera to be widely used for photographing indoors. After 1932 he used a Leica to cope with poor lighting conditions.

With the rise of Hitler, Salomon left Germany to work in Holland and was forced into hiding during the Nazi occupation. He was denounced by a gas inspector who suspected his presence from an increase in gas consumption. Salomon was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944.