Ernest Cole was born on 21st March 1940 on the outskirts of Pretoria and died on 21st February 1990 in New York City. He was 49 years old. His half-century had encompassed an astonishing rise and a devastating fall. Growing up amidst discrimination in South Africa, inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Cole emerged as the first black ‘essayist’ in South African photographic history; in 1966 he fled to Europe and later, the United States; House Of Bondage – the first photographic book by a black South African – was published in 1967. Cole became an associate of Magnum Photos and benefited from small...