Humanity in War: 150 years of the Red Cross in photographs

Published to commemorate the 150 years since the idea for the Red Cross was born at the Battle of Solferino in Italy, Humanity in War traces the history of the largest humanitarian organization in the world through its remarkable photographic archive.

Part of an international campaign, these iconic images serve to document the realities of war and the effectiveness of the now omnipresent Red Cross. They reveal and promote what can be achieved when aid to the suffering is given without discrimination.

They are also a history of the evolution of photography itself. Ranging from the very first days of photography-the American Civil War, for instance-to the work of modern-day photographers and photojournalists including James Nachtwey, Sebastian Salgado, Eric Bouvier, and Nick Danziger, the images speak for themselves and are reproduced in exceptional quality.

As the nature of war has changed over the decades, so the Red Cross has evolved to include not just medical assistance but teachers, water experts, nutritionists, logicians, lawyers, and politicians. But their activities remain the same: visiting detainees, brokering prisoner exchanges, repatriating the wounded, tracing the missing, and putting families in touch with each other.

Caroline Moorehead is a biographer and journalist. Her previous books include a history of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a biography of Martha Gellhorn.

James Nachtwey is an influential American photojournalist and war photographer who has been awarded the Overseas Press Club’s coveted Robert Capa Gold Medal an unprecedented five times.