The First Issue of LIFE's Picture Magazine Appears
The first issue of the new photographic LIFE magazine was dated November 23, 1936.
Published · Updated · 1 min read
The Event
The first issue of the new photographic LIFE magazine was dated November 23, 1936. Its cover featured Margaret Bourke-White's image of the Fort Peck Dam project.
The Wider Story
The magazine helped make photo essays a major form of mass communication. Layout, captions and editorial selection shaped how readers understood events.
Putting the Event in Perspective
This launch should be distinguished from the earlier magazine that had used the LIFE name.
Reading the Historical Record
A historical recreation can show printing and reading without reproducing an entire copyrighted issue.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a 1936 magazine printing press and a reader seen from behind, cover details indistinct. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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