tech
February 11, 2026
That’s Life! The magazine that shaped America
From grown men eating ice cream – gasp! – to Noël Coward sweating in the desert and a baseball team without pants – a new exhibition celebrates images from the era-defining magazine
TL;DR
- Life magazine was founded in 1936 by Henry Luce, emphasizing photojournalism.
- It is recognized for breaking ground for photography in culture and documenting 20th-century American life.
- Photographers like JR Eyerman, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Martha Holmes, Gjon Mili, Margaret Bourke-White, and Loomis Dean contributed significant work.
- Iconic images include the sailor kissing a nurse on VJ Day (identities unconfirmed), Gjon Mili's 'light paintings' with Picasso, and Margaret Bourke-White's industrial and WWII photographs.
- The magazine featured both major world events and relatable "Life goes to a..." segments reflecting everyday lives.
- It captured celebrity moments, such as Jimmy Stewart's return home after military service.
- Photographers like Loomis Dean and Leonard McCombe documented unique subjects and personal experiences, like Coward's desert photoshoot and McCombe's journey to US citizenship.
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