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Wallace Stegner and the Editors of Look

Wallace Stegner and the Editors of Look

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Editor, Journalist, Photojournalist, Publishing professional
Active Years
1937-1971
Affiliations
Look (magazine), Cowles Communications, Cowles Media
Influenced By
Life (magazine), Notable staff photographers (e.g., Margaret Bourke-White)
Influenced
Subsequent photojournalistic media, National awareness and discourse on civil rights

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Look (magazine)

1937 General-interest magazine; photojournalism

Founded in 1937, Look was an American general-interest magazine that emphasized photographs and photojournalism. It published human-interest and lifestyle pieces as well as significant reporting on racial injustice and the civil rights movement. The magazine ceased publication in 1971; its large photograph collection was donated to the Library of Congress.

photojournalismhuman interestcivil rightslifestyle

Bibliography

  • Mike Looks Back: The Memoirs of Gardner Cowles, Founder of Look Magazine
  • LOOK: How a Highly Influential Magazine Helped Define Mid-Twentieth-Century America (Andrew L. Yarrow)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Visual layout emphasizing photographyConcise captions and photo-driven nonfiction storytellingFeature writing on human relationships and lifestyle
Recurring Motifs
Large-format cover photographsPhoto feature spreadsIn-depth coverage of civil rights and racial issues

Legacy

Look had a major impact on mid-20th-century American photojournalism and popular culture. At its peak it sold millions of copies; its editorial approach and photographic archive remain important research resources. Its large photograph collection was donated to the Library of Congress.

Museums

  • Library of Congress — Look Magazine Photograph Collection Washington, D.C., United States

Academic Societies

  • Football Writers Association of America

Archives

  • Library of Congress (Look Collection)
  • Archival materials related to Look's editorial offices (e.g., 488 Madison Avenue)

In Popular Culture

  • Influenced early careers of notable photographers such as Stanley Kubrick
  • Influential coverage of the civil rights movement (e.g., Emmett Till reporting)

Trivia

  • Founded in 1937 as a large-format, photo-focused general-interest magazine.
  • Reached a peak circulation of about 7.75 million in 1969.
  • Ceased publication on October 19, 1971; circulation at closure was around 6.5 million.
  • The Look photograph collection—on the order of millions of items—was donated to the Library of Congress.