At 95, legendary photojournalist Harry Benson holds what is believed to be the single largest photographic archive of any photographer in history. Over more than seven decades, Benson hasn’t just witnessed history—he has captured it, frame by frame, building an extraordinary visual record of the world’s most iconic figures and transformative events.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1929, amid the turmoil of World War II, Benson published his first photograph at the age of sixteen. He launched his career on London’s fiercely competitive Fleet Street, but his life—and photography—changed forever in 1964, when he was assigned to accompany The Beatles on their first trip to America. The result: some of the most enduring images of the 20th century’s most influential band. Benson never looked back after arriving in the United States.

Since then, he has remained at the forefront of global events, with a camera always in hand. Benson has photographed thirteen U.S. presidents, from Eisenhower to Trump, and his subjects have included Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, Martin Luther King Jr., Andy Warhol, Frank Sinatra, Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones, Fred Astaire, and Michael Jackson, among countless others. His portraits and documentary photography are held in museum collections around the world, bringing pivotal moments to life with unmatched intimacy and insight.

Benson’s career has placed him at the epicenter of historic change. He marched with Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement, covered conflicts in the Gulf, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and was captured by both sides of the Dominican Republic’s civil war on the same day. He documented the rise of the IRA, stood just feet away from Robert F. Kennedythe night he was assassinated, and captured the immediate aftermath and raw grief of Ethel Kennedy.

In recognition of his profound impact on photography, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Benson a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2009. He has twice been named NPPA Magazine Photographer of the Year, received the Leica Medal of Excellence, and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Center of Photography (ICP).

He holds honorary doctorates from the University of St. Andrews, Glasgow Caledonian University, and The Glasgow School of Art—an accomplishment he often jokes is “not bad for a boy who had to leave school at 13.”

Benson’s twenty-year contract with LIFE Magazine produced some of the most defining images of the modern era. His work has also graced the covers and pages of TIME, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, Paris Match, GQ, Esquire, Vogue, and Architectural Digest. His photography has been the subject of more than 40 solo exhibitions and featured in 17 books, including The Beatles, PAUL, and Persons of Interest, with additional exhibitions and publications currently in development.

His work is held in permanent collections at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the National Portrait Galleries of London and Edinburgh, the Royal Museum of Scotland, the British Museum of Photography, and the International Photography Hall of Fame, among others.

In 2016, Benson’s remarkable life and career became the subject of the acclaimed documentary Harry Benson: Shoot First, now streaming on Netflix and Hulu.

From war zones to the White House, from Hollywood legends to civil rights marches, Harry Benson has stood at the crossroads of culture and conflict. His archive is not only vast, but vital, forming one of the most important visual legacies in modern photography. Through his lens, history isn’t just remembered—it’s immortalized.