In the 1950s, Magnum created portfolios for “Generation X.” As a group project every photographer was tasked with  portraying the new generation in the country he was visiting. The selected individuals were each interviewed using the same questionnaire, herein creating a fascinating portrait of a future generation. “Generation X” was then published throughout the world and the phrase became a universally used term used to describe a particular generation of people.

One of the photographers involved in this project was Werner Bischof, who worked on “Generation X” in India and Japan. His interviews offer a glimpse of the project and its importance.  In India, he interviewed and photographed Anjali Hora, a young and impoverished female dancer and Ushakant Ladiwala, a wealthy young businessman. While in Japan, he met with Michiko Jinuma, a young clothing designer, and  Goro Suma, a young and rebellious ex-Naval Officer. Through these four interviews, we can see the similarities and differences between those of wealth and those in poverty, those with strong religious beliefs and those without them, and those who rebel against their parents and those who try to follow their family’s traditions. His and the other interviews of “Generation X” truly paint a picture of the upcoming generation in the 1950s.

-Leica Internet Team

For more photos from Werner Bischof, please visit his portfolio on Magnum Photos.