Departures, journeys and arrivals in around two hundred photographs

The Family of Migrants brings together 136 photographers from around the world, presenting both iconic and lesser-known images that illustrate migration as a timeless phenomenon – and, above all, a deeply human story. The images in The Family of Migrants document people on the move, in search of better opportunities, adventure, or safety – a fresh start. Some pack their bags, while others have little chance to take anything with them. They leave behind family and friends, board trains, cross borders and start anew. These photographs tell stories of farewells, loss, love, family and hope.

The Family of Migrants charts the history of photography, from the late 19th century to the present – a rich mix of documentary images, portraits, and photojournalism sourced from international archives, museum collections, image banks and newspapers.
The title The Family of Migrants is inspired by the legendary exhibition The Family of Man, an ode to humanity created by photographer and curator Edward Steichen, that opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1955.

Some of the authors featured:
Abbas Attar, Eva Besnyö, Peter Bialobrzeski, Werner Bischof, Margaret Bourke-White, René Burri,
Enri Canaj, Robert Capa, Chien-Chi Chang, Ernest Cole, Robert de Hartogh, Jack Delano,
Raymond Depardon, Fouad Elkoury, Elliott Erwitt, Leonard Freed, Wang Fuchun, Ara Güler, Lewis Hine,
Ata Kandó, Dorothea Lange, Alex Majoli, Mary Ellen Mark, Steve McCurry, Cristina de Middel,
Ishiuchi Miyako Yasuhiro Ogawa, Emin Özmen, Sergey Ponomarev, Paolo Pellegrin, August Sander,
David Seymour, Mark Steinmetz, Alfred Stieglitz Goran Tomasevic, Stephan Vanfleteren Alex Webb, and others

This photobook was published on the occasion of the opening of Fenix on 16 May 2025. Fenix is the new art museum about migration in Rotterdam.