Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Artsy Wednesday: Life Magazine Photos

Kirk Douglas and Sophia Loren, eatin' some spaghetti in NYC (1958)
Life magazine, in its most recognizable form, was published from 1936 until 2000, with a six year hiatus between 1972 to 1978. First it was a weekly then, after 1978, a monthly, and it always had an emphasis on photojournalism. The actual title goes back to 1883, but it was originally more of a general interest and humor mag.
Many of the magazine's classic photos - along with new images - are now available for viewing (and purchase) on life.com.
Of course, there are zillions of photos available someplace or other online. But this archive is actually special, mostly thanks to its depth. Today's editor's picks, for example, include slideshows from JFK's first hundred days and from the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.
But of course, it's the food and the entertaining shots that I love the most - like the one above, which shows Kirk Douglas dining with Sophia Loren and another lady (unnamed) in 1958. It's part of a slideshow all about spaghetti. Totally cool - this shot especially. I love the little details - the little details - Loren's necklace, the padded banquette, the pepper grinder, the white (!) wine - that point to the era. The rest of the slideshow is just as riveting.
A warning, though: don't visit the site unless you've got some time to kill. I could get lost there for hours.

4 comments:

theminx said...

Dunno...might be water in those glasses. Besides, it appears Mr Douglas only has olive oil on his pasta, so white wine would be fine.

Kenna said...

I love how you guys catch all those details. I got caught in Lauren's smile.

LoveFeast said...

It takes me back to my middle school years. We use to spend hours looking at old stacks of Life and movie star magazines on rainy days at my friend's lake cabin.

Kit Pollard said...

I don't know - I kind of think that if you saw the same shot today, the wine would be red. There's been such a shift in wine drinking. I'm almost surprised that they're not just drinking cocktails...

That is an amazing smile, isn't it? She's so gorgeous.

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