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September 23, 2009

Here's one thing that could keep me from blogging: Browsing online the now available archives of Life magazine

Life magazine was still around when I was a kid, but barely. Still, in my own media-interested way, I knew that Life magazine was an icon of American journalism and that, throughout its history, it carried photos and stories of some of the 20th centuries most notable personalities, from royalty to revolutionaries to political figures to movie stars.

I just learned that Life.com and Google Books have partnered to digitize Life's entire run as a weekly, from 1936 to 1972. These decades cover more than 1,860 issues, featuring the words and images of the era's most celebrated journalists and photographers.

For those of you tired of my rants about everything from bikini-clad cheerleaders offering carwashes to raise money to a debate about medical marijuana in Walnut Creek, here could be your salvation: Me immersing myself in the Life magazine photo and story archives. For hours and hours.
Aren't they gorgeous? Marilyn, Gable and Lombard, Bogart and Bacall? And even Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor at their most outrageous, excessive best?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love it. We took Saturday Evening Post which had great cartoons but a friend had Life Magazines and I loved the photos. These archives are a goldmine!