  Starting with nearby galaxy clusters like Virgo and Coma, and continuing out
to the furthest galaxy clusters for which ISO results have yet been published
($z=0.56$), we discuss the development of knowledge of the infrared and
associated physical properties of galaxy clusters from early IRAS observations,
through the "ISO-era" to the present, in order to explore the status of ISO's
contribution to this field. Relevant IRAS and ISO programmes are reviewed,
addressing both the cluster galaxies and the still-very-limited evidence for an
infrared-emitting intra-cluster medium. ISO made important advances in
knowledge of both nearby and distant galaxy clusters, such as the discovery of
a major cold dust component in Virgo and Coma cluster galaxies, the elaboration
of the correlation between dust emission and Hubble-type, and the detection of
numerous Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) in several distant clusters. These
and consequent achievements are underlined and described. We recall that, due
to observing time constraints, ISO's coverage of higher-redshift galaxy
clusters to the depths required to detect and study statistically significant
samples of cluster galaxies over a range of morphological types could not be
comprehensive and systematic, and such systematic coverage of distant clusters
will be an important achievement of the Spitzer Observatory.
