Richard Cahan spent years researching Richard Nickel's photographs, documents, and letters, interviewing Nickel's family and friends, and visiting the Louis Sullivan buildings that so attracted the photographer. Cahan graduated from the University of Illinois. He worked as a reporter and editor for several weekly and daily newspapers and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines. In 1981 he wrote the book Landmark Neighborhoods of Chicago. He presently is the picture editor for the Chicago Sun-Times. He lives in Skokie, Illinois, with his wife, Catherine, and children, Elie, Claire, and Aaron.