‘Life’ Magazine, Champion of Photography, to Publish Again
One of the 20th century’s most important photojournalism publications is returning to print 90 years after it was first published.
Life magazine, which was instrumental in the careers of photography greats including Alfred Eisenstaedt, Robert Capa, Margaret Bourke-White, W. Eugene Smith, and others, began as a picture-led weekly publication in 1936.
The magazine covered major events, personalities, and everyday realities of the 20th century for a mass audience. It peaked in the 1960s when it was selling over eight million copies each week.
Resurrection
This morning, Life announced that it would return to print on November 23. In a nod to its very first cover of Montana’s Fort Peck Dam shot by Bourke-White, the new issue will “reintroduce the title in the same place its story started.”
“For those of you who have loved LIFE for many years — and those of you just discovering it for the first time — we are excited to show you what’s in store,” reads the post.
The first issue will have a “Where Are We Now?” theme, which, according to The New York Times, will offer a “window into an America searching for meaning: scientists and artists, entrepreneurs and athletes, children and octogenarians, coal miners and drone makers.”
Supermodel and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss is behind the relaunch via her Bedford Media company, which acquired the rights to Life in 2024.
“What made Life extraordinary was its ability to make the world feel closer,” Kloss tells The Times. “And our responsibility is to preserve and to protect that legacy.”
For the first issue, the editorial team, which includes Hugo Lindgren, photo editor Eve Lyons, and Caryn Ganz, used more than 120 contributors.
Life magazine stopped publishing weekly in 1972 amid rising competition from television. In 1978, it began publishing again as a monthly publication until 2000, when it stopped printing copies. However, there have been occasional special issues.
Kloss says that there are plans to expand into social media, a website, short-form video, and documentaries.
The first issue will be a large-format 250-page issue that will retail for $45.
Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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