Oct
21
Magazine, that is.
Last week, one of our associate editors, Jacqueline, sent me an amazing link:
http://images.google.com/hosted/life
Life magazine began publishing in 1883 and employed some of the most talented writers, editors, photographers and illustrators in recent history, including illustrator Norman Rockwell and photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. (You might not know Eisenstaedt’s name but I guarantee you know at least one of his pictures):
VJ Day, by Alfred Eisenstaedt
There are so many other incredible pictures — many that have never been seen before — in the Life magazine catalogue. And (drum roll, please) now that the magazine is no longer in print, all of these images are now available for research purposes and personal use. FREE. The copyright still applies for publication, but you are able to print a high-quality photograph right from the Google archive for your own purposes. You won’t believe what you’ll find. There are some incredible portraits of iconic people in history — here’s a cover from 1936 of New York Yankee Lou Gehrig and New York Giant Carl Hubbell (I’m a baseball fan), a picture from Jackie and John F. Kennedy’s wedding (check out that dress!), and a stunning portrait of aviatrix Amelia Earhart (I’m impressed that Hilary Swank is a pretty close look-alike in the upcoming movie). And this is only a drop in the bucket. Seriously.
The crafting possibilities are endless: Frame old vintage photographs (or artwork). Pepper a family scrapbook with other images, like a sort of comprehensive time line. Make magnets with Franklin Roosevelt or Rocket Richard’s face. The holidays are coming, so get brainstorming. My brother often makes custom DVD and CD boxed-sets with homemade cases — he could (and you could!) certainly use archival art. Check out the Elvis pics! (Mom, don’t fall off your chair). And here’s Audrey Hepburn! Honestly, it’s amazing.
Happy surfing! I’m going back to it myself…
