Having captured memorable images of Freedom Rides and the Brooklyn Gang, Bruce Davidson was already an established civil rights photographer when he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1962. With this funding, he went on to photograph rallies in Harlem, marches and demonstrations in Birmingham and Selma, and Ku Klux Klan activities in Atlanta. Davidson came across the Ku Klux Klan rally somewhat accidentally, having picked up a flyer in the streets of Atlanta. The photograph that he produced is from a hauntingly close perspective, with one of the Klan members positioned just feet away from his lens. The burning cross stands in the center of a large circle of people, clearly illuminating some while keeping others shrouded in darkness.