Monday, February 14, 2011

LIFE Magazine Looks at Provence


If you loved LIFE like millions of others did, then Life.com might ease your withdrawal. The magazine was a mainstay of American culture, an icon in the world of photojournalism, the first all-photographic American news magazine. LIFE dominated the market for more than 40 years, from its launch as a weekly by Time founder Henry Luce in 1936; as an intermittent "special" until 1978 and as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Today on the site I happened on a beautiful photo essay about Provence, a series of 36 mostly black-and-white photos taken as early as 1900. To see the gallery, click "Next" in the image above or better yet, click here to see the images full size. You might also enjoy the series of vintage photos on Europe's "Wine Line" or on French design icons or this one, called Classic Cannes.


Pictured: A Grasse perfume-factory worker on a bed of roses, May 26, 1955. Photo by George W. Hales/Getty Images

10 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this Julie, I have always loved Life and to see these photos of our adopted homeland is a treat!

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  2. Thanks Julie, I have always loved Life Magazine, so lovely to this collection of photos from our adopted homeland!

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  3. Fantastic post, I've shared it on facebook and on a Paris-forum I frequent. Really spectacular. I have to go back and look more closely at the "French Design Icons" link, because I bet Pierre Boulat took some of those photos. I just saw an exhibit that featured him, and his daughter, in the Petit Palais.

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  4. Thanks Julie. Love the photo of Matisse. He looks like the Mistral figure of the Provencal santons. It's amazing how in many of those photos, one would only have to change the outfits and the photo could have been taken yesterday.

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  5. the photos are great. I loved the cover photo most! I'm new to blogging and am glad I find yours being that I'm a fan of all things French! If you can visit my blog, I'd love to know what you think? I'm going to be following yours for more of this inspiration. -Slavica

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  6. Thanks Julie. These images made me go back to mine and convert them to B & W. What fun. See you soon...

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  7. What a most excellent find. Thank you!

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  8. What's up, its good piece of writing regarding media print, we all know media
    is a wonderful source of information.

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