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Look (American magazine)

March 17, 2023

Not to be confused with Look (UK magazine).

Look was a biweekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa, from 1937 to 1971, with editorial offices in New York City. It had an emphasis on photographs and photojournalism in addition to human interest and lifestyle articles. A large-sized magazine of 11 in × 14 in (280 mm × 360 mm), it was a direct competitor to market leader Life, which began publication 3 months earlier and ended in 1972, 14 months after Look shut down.

Look
Actress Anne Gwynne, a 1939–1940 model for Catalina Swimwear, was featured on the January 30, 1940, cover of Look.
FrequencyBi-weekly
First issueFebruary 1937 (1937-February)
Final issueOctober 19, 1971
CompanyCowles Media
CountryUnited States
Based inDes Moines, Iowa
LanguageEnglish
ISSN0024-6336

Origin

Gardner "Mike" Cowles Jr. (1903–1985), the magazine's co-founder (with his brother John) and first editor, was executive editor of The Des Moines Register and The Des Moines Tribune. When the first issue went on sale in early 1937, it sold 705,000 copies.[1][2]

Although planned to begin with the January 1937 issue, the actual first issue of Look to be distributed was the February 1937 issue, numbered as Volume 1, Number 2. It was published monthly for five issues (February–May 1937), then switched to biweekly starting with the May 11, 1937 issue. Page numbering on early issues counted the front cover as page one. Early issues, subtitled Monthly Picture Magazine, carried no advertising.[3]

The unusual format of the early issues featured layouts of photos with long captions or very short articles. The magazine's backers described it as "an experiment based on the tremendous unfilled demand for extraordinary news and feature pictures". It was aimed at a broader readership than Life, promising trade papers that Look would have "reader interest for yourself, for your wife, for your private secretary, for your office boy".[4]

Highlights

From 1946 to 1970, Look published the Football Writers Association of America College All America Football Team and brought players and selected writers to New York City for a celebration. During that 25-year period, the FWAA team was introduced on national television shows by Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Perry Como, and others.

Its January 24, 1956, article "The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi", included murder confessions from J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant, who had been acquitted in 1955 of killing 14-year-old boy Emmett Till.[5][6]

Circulation peak

 
Look Building on Madison Avenue in New York

Within weeks of its debut, more than a million copies were bought of each issue,[7] and it became a biweekly. By 1948, it sold 2.9 million copies per issue.[8] Circulation reached 3.7 million in 1954,[9] and peaked at 7.75 million in 1969. Its advertising revenue reached its highest point in 1966 at $80 million.[10] Of the leading general-interest, large-format magazines, Look had a circulation second only to Life and ahead of The Saturday Evening Post, which closed in 1969, and Collier's, which folded in 1956.

Look was published under various company names: Look, Inc. (1937–45), Cowles Magazines (1946–65), and Cowles Communications, Inc. (1965–71). Its New York editorial offices were located in the architecturally distinctive 488 Madison Avenue, dubbed the "Look Building", now on the National Register of Historic Places.

KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov, regarding the October 1967 Russia Today issue, said: "From the first page to the last page, it was a package of lies: propaganda cliché[s] which were presented to American readers as opinions and deductions of American journalists. Nothing could be [further] from [the] truth."[11] He goes on to explain exactly how the Look reporters were compromised.[12]

Look ceased publication with its issue of October 19, 1971, the victim of a $5 million loss in revenues in 1970 (with television cutting deeply into its advertising revenues), a slack economy, and rising postal rates. Circulation was at 6.5 million when it closed.[10]

Aftermath

French publisher Hachette brought back Look, the Picture Newsmagazine in February 1979 as a biweekly in a slightly smaller size. It lasted only a year. Subscribers received copies of Esquire to fulfill their terms.

The Look Magazine Photograph Collection was donated to the Library of Congress and contains about five million items.[13]

After the closure, six Look employees created a fulfillment house using the computer system newly developed by the magazine's circulation department.[14] The company, CDS Global, is now an international provider of customer relationship services.

Notable staff photographers and illustrators

Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick was a staff photographer for Look before starting his career in feature films. Of the more than 300 assignments Kubrick did for Look from 1946 to 1951, more than 100 are in the Library of Congress collection. All Look jobs with which he was associated have been cataloged with descriptions focusing on the images that were printed. Other related Kubrick material is located at the Museum of the City of New York.[15]

Frank Bauman

Frank Bauman was a staff photographer for Look following his career as war correspondent in World War II. Bauman worked alongside Margaret Bourke-White to document life in Cuba and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Bauman was known for his experimental styles, and collaborated Doc Edgerton to develop the Stroboscopic effect, which proved that the Curveball curves, settling a longstanding dispute.

William Bradford Huie

Alabama journalist William Bradford Huie was commissioned by Look and other periodicals to write articles about the Civil Rights Movement in the South. In January 1956 he published an interview in Look in which two of the six white men who killed Emmett Till admitted their guilt and described their crime.[16] They had been acquitted at trial several months previously by an all-white jury. His work for Look was criticized at the time as "checkbook journalism", because he was known to pay interviewees to speak with them.[17]

James Karales

James Karales was a photographer for Look from 1960 to 1971. Covering the Civil Rights Movement throughout its duration, he took many memorable photographs, including the iconic photograph of the Selma to Montgomery march showing people proudly marching along the highway under a cloudy, turbulent sky.[18]

Norman Rockwell

Beginning in 1963, Norman Rockwell, after closing his career with the Saturday Evening Post, began making illustrations for Look.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pictorial Magazine Prints First Issue", The Washington Post, January 6, 1937, p. 3.
  2. ^ "", Time, November 8, 1937.
  3. ^ . Archived from the original on 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  4. ^ "", Time, January 11, 1937.
  5. ^ Huie, William Bradford (January 1956). "The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi". Look. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "Emmett Till murderers make magazine confession". History. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  7. ^ Look (advertisement), The Washington Post, March 31, 1937, p. 15.
  8. ^ Look (advertisement), New York Times, June 8, 1948, p. 16.
  9. ^ "", Time, January 11, 1954.
  10. ^ a b "Cowles Closing Look Magazine After 34 Years". The New York Times. 1971-09-17. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  11. ^ Dissident, Useless (2008-11-25). "Useless Dissident: Interview with Yuri Bezmenov: Part Two". Useless Dissident. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  12. ^ GBPPR2 (2011-01-20), Yuri Bezmenov: Deception Was My Job (Complete), retrieved 2016-03-05
  13. ^ Library Congress, Look Collection: Background and Scope.
  14. ^ "Good Idea Grows Out of Tragedy", Des Moines Register, October 26, 1997, pp. 1G–2G.
  15. ^ Library of Congress, Look Collection: Background and Scope
  16. ^ "The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi" by William Bradford Huie, Look Magazine, 1956.
  17. ^ Whitfield, Stephen J. A Death in the Delta: The Story of Emmett Till JHU Press, 1991, p. 52
  18. ^ James Karales, Photographer of Social Upheaval, Dies at 71

Further reading

  • Cowles, Gardner. Mike Looks Back: The Memoirs of Gardner Cowles, Founder of Look Magazine. New York: G. Cowles, 1985.
  • Geminder, Emily (March 1, 2010). . The New York Observer. ISSN 1052-2948. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Look (American magazine).

March 17, 2023
look, american, magazine, confused, with, look, magazine, look, biweekly, general, interest, magazine, published, moines, iowa, from, 1937, 1971, with, editorial, offices, york, city, emphasis, photographs, photojournalism, addition, human, interest, lifestyle. Not to be confused with Look UK magazine Look was a biweekly general interest magazine published in Des Moines Iowa from 1937 to 1971 with editorial offices in New York City It had an emphasis on photographs and photojournalism in addition to human interest and lifestyle articles A large sized magazine of 11 in 14 in 280 mm 360 mm it was a direct competitor to market leader Life which began publication 3 months earlier and ended in 1972 14 months after Look shut down LookActress Anne Gwynne a 1939 1940 model for Catalina Swimwear was featured on the January 30 1940 cover of Look FrequencyBi weeklyFirst issueFebruary 1937 1937 February Final issueOctober 19 1971CompanyCowles MediaCountryUnited StatesBased inDes Moines IowaLanguageEnglishISSN0024 6336 Contents 1 Origin 1 1 Highlights 2 Circulation peak 3 Aftermath 4 Notable staff photographers and illustrators 4 1 Stanley Kubrick 4 2 Frank Bauman 4 3 William Bradford Huie 4 4 James Karales 4 5 Norman Rockwell 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksOrigin EditGardner Mike Cowles Jr 1903 1985 the magazine s co founder with his brother John and first editor was executive editor of The Des Moines Register and The Des Moines Tribune When the first issue went on sale in early 1937 it sold 705 000 copies 1 2 Although planned to begin with the January 1937 issue the actual first issue of Look to be distributed was the February 1937 issue numbered as Volume 1 Number 2 It was published monthly for five issues February May 1937 then switched to biweekly starting with the May 11 1937 issue Page numbering on early issues counted the front cover as page one Early issues subtitled Monthly Picture Magazine carried no advertising 3 The unusual format of the early issues featured layouts of photos with long captions or very short articles The magazine s backers described it as an experiment based on the tremendous unfilled demand for extraordinary news and feature pictures It was aimed at a broader readership than Life promising trade papers that Look would have reader interest for yourself for your wife for your private secretary for your office boy 4 Highlights Edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it June 2020 From 1946 to 1970 Look published the Football Writers Association of America College All America Football Team and brought players and selected writers to New York City for a celebration During that 25 year period the FWAA team was introduced on national television shows by Bob Hope Steve Allen Perry Como and others Its January 24 1956 article The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi included murder confessions from J W Milam and Roy Bryant who had been acquitted in 1955 of killing 14 year old boy Emmett Till 5 6 Circulation peak Edit Look Building on Madison Avenue in New York Within weeks of its debut more than a million copies were bought of each issue 7 and it became a biweekly By 1948 it sold 2 9 million copies per issue 8 Circulation reached 3 7 million in 1954 9 and peaked at 7 75 million in 1969 Its advertising revenue reached its highest point in 1966 at 80 million 10 Of the leading general interest large format magazines Look had a circulation second only to Life and ahead of The Saturday Evening Post which closed in 1969 and Collier s which folded in 1956 Look was published under various company names Look Inc 1937 45 Cowles Magazines 1946 65 and Cowles Communications Inc 1965 71 Its New York editorial offices were located in the architecturally distinctive 488 Madison Avenue dubbed the Look Building now on the National Register of Historic Places KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov regarding the October 1967 Russia Today issue said From the first page to the last page it was a package of lies propaganda cliche s which were presented to American readers as opinions and deductions of American journalists Nothing could be further from the truth 11 He goes on to explain exactly how the Look reporters were compromised 12 Look ceased publication with its issue of October 19 1971 the victim of a 5 million loss in revenues in 1970 with television cutting deeply into its advertising revenues a slack economy and rising postal rates Circulation was at 6 5 million when it closed 10 Aftermath EditFrench publisher Hachette brought back Look the Picture Newsmagazine in February 1979 as a biweekly in a slightly smaller size It lasted only a year Subscribers received copies of Esquire to fulfill their terms The Look Magazine Photograph Collection was donated to the Library of Congress and contains about five million items 13 After the closure six Look employees created a fulfillment house using the computer system newly developed by the magazine s circulation department 14 The company CDS Global is now an international provider of customer relationship services Notable staff photographers and illustrators EditStanley Kubrick Edit Stanley Kubrick was a staff photographer for Look before starting his career in feature films Of the more than 300 assignments Kubrick did for Look from 1946 to 1951 more than 100 are in the Library of Congress collection All Look jobs with which he was associated have been cataloged with descriptions focusing on the images that were printed Other related Kubrick material is located at the Museum of the City of New York 15 Frank Bauman Edit Frank Bauman was a staff photographer for Look following his career as war correspondent in World War II Bauman worked alongside Margaret Bourke White to document life in Cuba and the Soviet Union during the Cold War Bauman was known for his experimental styles and collaborated Doc Edgerton to develop the Stroboscopic effect which proved that the Curveball curves settling a longstanding dispute William Bradford Huie Edit Alabama journalist William Bradford Huie was commissioned by Look and other periodicals to write articles about the Civil Rights Movement in the South In January 1956 he published an interview in Look in which two of the six white men who killed Emmett Till admitted their guilt and described their crime 16 They had been acquitted at trial several months previously by an all white jury His work for Look was criticized at the time as checkbook journalism because he was known to pay interviewees to speak with them 17 James Karales Edit James Karales was a photographer for Look from 1960 to 1971 Covering the Civil Rights Movement throughout its duration he took many memorable photographs including the iconic photograph of the Selma to Montgomery march showing people proudly marching along the highway under a cloudy turbulent sky 18 Norman Rockwell Edit Beginning in 1963 Norman Rockwell after closing his career with the Saturday Evening Post began making illustrations for Look See also EditList of defunct American periodicals Marjorie S Deane Selected bibliography at Library of CongressReferences Edit Pictorial Magazine Prints First Issue The Washington Post January 6 1937 p 3 Ads to Look Time November 8 1937 Look is Born Archived from the original on 2011 04 27 Retrieved 2008 10 02 Look Out Time January 11 1937 Huie William Bradford January 1956 The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi Look Archived from the original on February 8 2017 Retrieved March 11 2017 Emmett Till murderers make magazine confession History Retrieved 2020 05 09 Look advertisement The Washington Post March 31 1937 p 15 Look advertisement New York Times June 8 1948 p 16 Shake up at Look Time January 11 1954 a b Cowles Closing Look Magazine After 34 Years The New York Times 1971 09 17 p 1 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dissident Useless 2008 11 25 Useless Dissident Interview with Yuri Bezmenov Part Two Useless Dissident Retrieved 2016 03 05 GBPPR2 2011 01 20 Yuri Bezmenov Deception Was My Job Complete retrieved 2016 03 05 Library Congress Look Collection Background and Scope Good Idea Grows Out of Tragedy Des Moines Register October 26 1997 pp 1G 2G Library of Congress Look Collection Background and Scope The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi by William Bradford Huie Look Magazine 1956 Whitfield Stephen J A Death in the Delta The Story of Emmett Till JHU Press 1991 p 52 James Karales Photographer of Social Upheaval Dies at 71Further reading EditCowles Gardner Mike Looks Back The Memoirs of Gardner Cowles Founder of Look Magazine New York G Cowles 1985 Geminder Emily March 1 2010 A Certain Look The New York Observer ISSN 1052 2948 Archived from the original on April 4 2010 Retrieved May 10 2010 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Look American magazine Look collection in the Library of Congress Cowles Family Publishing Legacy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Look American magazine amp oldid 1136707754, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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