What does $126 billion look like? With the picture below, probably the wealthiest portrait ever taken, you now know.
This photograph, which graces the cover of the 30th anniversary issue of the Forbes 400,  crowned an incredible event. On June 26, 2012, 161 billionaires and near-billionaires came together in New York at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, a chance for the most successful people on the planet to use their resources and the mind-set that built that success to try to solve the world’s most intractable problems.
Near the end of the day, we took a dozen of the greatest living philanthropists in the world, put them in one room, and took an unprecedented photograph. There was no digital wizardry, or Photoshop sleight of hand — as the accompanying video underscores, they were all in one place at one time, and even the most jaded among them couldn’t help but look around the Trustees Room at the New York Public Library and go, “wow.”

Click for full photo gallery: Forbes 400 Summit On Philanthropy

The whole shoot took just 15 minutes, though our photo crew, notably photographer Michael Prince, had been prepping for weeks, testing cameras, the room, the lights. The cover was shot dozens of times in advance using stand-ins to ensure perfect lighting and focus when the actual subjects arrived.
When they did, it was magic. Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, Pete Peterson, Leon Black, Jon Bon Jovi, Marc Benioff, David Rubenstein, Steve Case, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen and Marc Andreessen, $126 billion of personal net worth, incredible business achievement — and a desire to change the world on a massive scale. It was a moment of business and philanthropic history — and a photo for the ages.

The Richest People In America Success begets success: two-thirds of the wealthiest Americans added to their fortunes, boosting the average net worth up $400 million to $4.2 billion. The $126 Billion Forbes Cover     - going to the link (the cover)has links for each of the people and a story An historic gathering of America’s most generous philanthropists. Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy The greatest givers in history reveal their successes and cautionary lessons

Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Bill and Melinda Gates--it was a gathering of giants. Forbes simply had to take a picture. On June 26 we convened the first-ever Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, a gathering of 161 billionaires and near-billionaires intent on solving the world's most intractable problems. During a break in the action, twelve of the nation's leading philanthropists sat for a group portrait by photographer Michael Prince in the Trustees Room at the New York Public Library. The net worth in the room: $126 billion. The historic photo folds out as the cover of the 30th annual Forbes 400 issue, the definitive ranking of America's wealthiest people. More »