Communications, Inc. (1965–1971). In its early
years (prior to World War II),Look’s content con-
sisted primarily of sensational tabloid spreads about
celebrities, fashion, sports figures, strange ‘‘news’’
items, and other popular trends. After WWII, the
magazine assumed a more family-oriented focus,
with regular features, such as fashion, food, sports,
and popular entertainment, as well as special fea-
tures on current health issues, developments in med-
icine and technology, social issues of the day, and
political affairs. WhenLookceased publication of
the magazine in 1971, Gardner Cowles, Jr. gave the
entire archive of negatives to the Library of Con-
gress in Washington, D.C.
WhenLookcame into the market, in an economy
still struggling back to its feet from the Depression
of the previous decade, many people were either out
of work or underemployed; this was no less true for
photographers.Looktherefore enjoyed a ready pool
of potential staff, and employed a substantial num-
ber of photographers full-time. In a given year,
Lookmaintained a roster of 10 to 12 full-time
photographers, in addition to at least as many free-
lance photographers. Several of the regular staff
photographers atLookhad experience with docu-
mentary photography, such as Stanley Tretick and
Tony Vaccaro, both of whom served as photogra-
phers for the military. Many others had worked for
the federal government’s Farm Security Adminis-
tration (FSA) project or the Office of War Informa-
tion (OWI) projects prior to their tenure atLook,
among them Russell Lee, Arthur Rothstein, and
John Vachon. The success and timing of the FSA
project, in particular, may have played a significant
role in paving the way for photojournalism publica-
tions such asLookandLife. In America’s pre-tele-
vision era, before the overwhelming ubiquity of
visual culture, pictures were still fresh and new.
The public response to the images in the FSA collec-
tion was tremendous, not only because of the inno-
vation and artistic achievement they represented,
but because they communicated in a new way the
hardships, character, and personal effort of working
people across the country—entirely in pictures. At a
time when the country was preparing itself for inter-
national combat, it is no wonder that Americans
were especially receptive to images that consoli-
dated and magnified the cultural and political cli-
mate of that era. The FSA images, in many ways
and almost instantaneously, distilled public senti-
ment by creating a visual lexicon of American cul-
ture and character. Whether fortuitously or by
design,Lookwas well-positioned to capture this
public yearning for symbols, to harness that mixture
of escapism and glamour, grit and gumption,
nationalism, and local pride that so characterized
mainstream American culture around WWII.
Look’s‘‘goldenyears’’(1954–1964),corresponded
to a surge in readership across the industry, due
largely to economic recovery following the war, as
well as the thicket of political issues arising from a
new period of social change.Lookremained compe-
titive by covering the ‘‘serious’’ issues. One of its
more notable efforts is the January 1956 issue,
whose feature article, titled ‘‘The Shocking Story of
Approved Killing in Mississippi,’’ carried an exclu-
sive interview with Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, two
men accused (but not convicted) of the murder of
Emmett Till just three months prior. During the
interview, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam actually con-
fess to the murder. WhileLook’s reporting drew
some criticism (Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary
of the NAACP at the time the story went to print,
questioned the veracity of Bryant and Milam’s
account of Till’s activities prior to the murder,
whileotherreaders,sharingtheircommentsinletters
to the editor, objected to coverage they considered
overly-prescriptive and condemning), there is no
doubt that, in the minds of mainstream America,
this was a bold editorial decision that augmented
Look’s image as a serious journal of record.
The two- to three-month production cycle atLook
meant that feature stories were sometimes less than
timely or relevant.Lookendured an embarrassing
flap when it published the results of an opinion poll
related to the 1964 presidential election just a few
weeks after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Look’s desire to inform and stimulate without
adversely provoking or challenging its readers im-
posed another limitation on its effort at hard-hitting
news coverage. As a counterbalance, the magazine
padded its political coverage with lifestyle and food
sections, celebrity profiles and product surveys
aimed at a thriving—and increasingly competi-
tive—consumer market: women.Look’s increased
pitch to the female consumer found its home in reg-
ular features such as ‘‘For Women Only,’’ which
highlighted unconventional and often frivolous
‘‘trends’’ in fashion and leisure, from Vivienne
Colle patchwork dresses to jeweled hosiery and
two-person ponchos.
Look’sshiftincontentanddesigntoamore family-
oriented, consumer-friendly format is widely attribu-
tedtotheeditorialinfluenceofFleurCowles,Gardner
Cowles’ wife and associate editor atLookfrom 1947
on. Fleur (ne ́e Fenton) worked for a short time with
the Truman Administration before marrying Gard-
ner Cowles and, shortly thereafter, assuming her role
on the magazine’s staff; it is often noted that her
influence began informally—with suggestions in theLOOK