Children by Sebastião Salgado: A Universal Portrait of Youth, Hope & Humanity

In Children, legendary photojournalist Sebastião Salgado turns his profound and compassionate lens to the most universal of subjects: youth. Known for his epic, decades-long projects like Genesis and Workers, Salgado here presents a more intimate, yet equally powerful, collection. The book transcends its simple title—presented in English, French, and German (Children, Enfants, Kinder)—to become a silent, global poem about the early chapters of human life.

The portraits, drawn from over 100 countries, are breathtaking in their diversity and their unity. Salgado captures children in moments of exuberant play, quiet contemplation, arduous work, and fragile survival. From bustling city streets to remote refugee camps, from moments of sheer joy to expressions of heartbreaking resilience, each black-and-white image is rendered with Salgado’s signature mastery of light and texture, elevating every subject to a position of monumental dignity. The faces tell stories of specific cultures and circumstances, yet together they speak a common language of curiosity, potential, and innate spirit.

More than a photography book, Children is a deeply humanist document. It avoids sentimentality, instead presenting an unflinching yet hopeful look at the world’s future. Salgado does not shy away from depicting hardship, but he consistently frames his subjects with a reverence that affirms their strength and individuality. The result is a stirring tribute to the next generation and a poignant reminder of our shared responsibility. This collection is a testament to Salgado’s belief in photography as a force for empathy, making the distant familiar and compelling the viewer to see the world, and its future, through the eyes of its children.