Stone Flower Fountain, Moscow

Mark Markov-Grinberg was a Russian-born photojournalist who worked primarily for Soviet publications. After taking photography classes in high school, Markov-Grinberg took his first job at a Soviet newspaper in 1925, at the same time that he began to freelance for an illustrated magazine. Two years after moving to Moscow from Rostov-on-Don, in 1930, he received an offer from the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) that enabled him to travel around the country and publish his photographs in numerous Soviet publications. In 1948, Markov-Grinberg lost his job at the TASS during a Stalin-era campaign against Jews. Despite the adversity he faced as a Jewish photographer, Markov-Grinberg spent the duration of his life in Russia. He died in Moscow.