Happy 75th Birthday, Life Magazine
November 22, 2011 | Source: Monroe Gallery of Photography
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Life Magazine was first published 75 years ago tomorrow, November 23.
The magazine, once criticised as being "for people who can't read," became an instant hit in 1936 and went on to feature defining images of the Second World War, natural disasters, the lives of Hollywood movie stars and the turbulent events of the 1960s. At its peak in the 1940s it sold 13.5 million copies a week.
The magazine was last published in 2007 and it is now a website. The website editors looked back over more than 2,200 cover photographs to chose their 75 favourites, which included portraits of Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe and a notoriously racy cover of Sophia Loren.
The magazine's place in the history of photojournalism is considered its most important contribution to publishing.
The 75 Best LIFE Covers of All Time
The 75 Best LIFE photographs
The Connecticut Post: Ridgefield man brought LIFE magazine to life
The magazine's place in the history of photojournalism is considered its most important contribution to publishing.
The 75 Best LIFE Covers of All Time
The 75 Best LIFE photographs
The Connecticut Post: Ridgefield man brought LIFE magazine to life
Related: Visit Monroe Gallery of Photography to view original prints by Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Bill Eppridge, Carl Mydans, and many other great LIFE photographers.