1950's
Life Magazines from the 1950's
By the 1950s, Life Magazine had made a name for itself as the country’s leading news magazine. LIFE photographers were and are respected as some of the best photojournalists in history. Their tenacity and talent for getting the best story helped them show America coming to terms with its new role as leader of the free world.
The atomic bomb placed America at the forefront of scientific advancement. LIFE Magazine ran multi-issue features on the nature of the universe, the origins of man, the growth of civilization, and even new advancements in medicine. During a time when outer space captured the national imagination, LIFE ran stories about the legitimacy of flying saucer sightings (“Have We Visitors from Space?” from April 7, 1952) and America’s first astronauts (1959). Even after the USSR launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, before American scientists could launch their own, LIFE Magazine spent pages and pages extolling the virtues of America’s space program.
Movies we call classics today, including musicals like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Guys and Dolls” (which LIFE Magazine featured on the cover of the April 21, 1955 issue), can be found in reviews and advertisements in LIFE Magazine issues throughout the 1950s. Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, both featured on LIFE Magazine covers throughout the decade, illustrate the two faces of sex appeal during the 1950s – the free, sensual bombshell and the demure, classic beauty. Even handsome, young politician John F. Kennedy and his beautiful wife would capture American imaginations from LIFE Magazine’s pages.
Other stories captured the essence of a nation coming to understand a new definition of morality, and LIFE Magazine had no problem exploring any controversy that arose. A heart-wrenching account of Anne Frank’s life after her capture was first given in the pages of LIFE Magazine in August of 1958, reminding the American public of the dangers of discrimination. The epic Brown vs. Board of Education decision on the desegregation of schools prompted a 5-issue series on segregation in America that highlighted both sides of the issue, ending with a poignant plea to end segregation on Biblical grounds authored by a young Billy Graham.
In 1959, America began its involvement in Vietnam, a move that would dictate the political and social climate of the country for decades to come. A whole generation of young people who learned to rebel with rock ‘n roll and civil rights marches were about to change the world in a very real and sometimes violent way, and LIFE Magazine would follow them into the turbulent 1960s.
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November 27, 1950 Life Magazine UCLA Homecoming, woman
Starting at: $17.95
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December 4, 1950 Life Magazine West Berliners, woman with dog
Starting at: $17.95
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December 5, 1950 Look Magazine Esther Williams in an evening gown, lovely photo
Starting at: $15.95
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December 11, 1950 Life Magazine Lilli Palmer and Rex Harrison
Starting at: $17.95
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December 18, 1950 Life Magazine George C. Marshall
Starting at: $17.95
Out of stock
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December 25, 1950 Life Magazine Child's Christmas
Starting at: $22.95
Out of stock
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January 1, 1951 Life Magazine GE's Charles Wilson
Starting at: $17.95
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January 8, 1951 Life Magazine Janice Rule
Starting at: $17.95
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January 15, 1951 Life Magazine Rose Parade marshal
Starting at: $17.95
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January 16, 1951 Look Magazine Jean Simmons in snappy red and yellow beach fashions
Starting at: $15.95
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January 20, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Benjamin Franklin - bust and quote
Starting at: $16.95
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January 22, 1951 Life Magazine U.S. air defense, woman
Starting at: $17.95
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January 27, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Gathering Wood
Starting at: $16.95
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January 29, 1951 Life Magazine Betsy von Furstenberg
Starting at: $17.95
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January 30, 1951 Look Magazine Gloria Swanson
Starting at: $15.95
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February 3, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Package from Home
Starting at: $16.95
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February 5, 1951 Life Magazine New York Police Commissioner
Starting at: $17.95
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February 12, 1951 Life Magazine Hatless hats
Starting at: $17.95
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February 13, 1951 Look Magazine Elizabeth Taylor, gorgeous photo
Starting at: $15.95
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February 17, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Barn Skiing
Starting at: $16.95
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February 19, 1951 Life Magazine Adoption, little girl
Starting at: $17.95
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February 24, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Washington Crossing the Delaware
Starting at: $16.95
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February 26, 1951 Life Magazine Debbie Reynolds
Starting at: $17.95
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February 27, 1951 Look Magazine Ingrid Berman White in fashion
Starting at: $15.95
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March 3, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Home Recital
Starting at: $16.95
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March 5, 1951 Life Magazine Paris fashions
Starting at: $17.95
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March 12, 1951 Life Magazine Paul Douglas
Starting at: $17.95
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March 13, 1951 Look Magazine Bob Hope and Bette Davis
Starting at: $15.95
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March 17, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Savings Passbook
Starting at: $16.95
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March 19, 1951 Life Magazine Navy couple
Starting at: $17.95
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March 26, 1951 Life Magazine Cherub Choir, girl singing
Starting at: $17.95
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March 27, 1951 Look Magazine Lady in fancy evening ensemble, Faith Domergue
Starting at: $15.95
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March 31, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Mocking Romance
Starting at: $16.95
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April 2, 1951 Life Magazine New World Riviera, fashion
Starting at: $17.95
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April 9, 1951 Life Magazine General Omar Bradley
Starting at: $17.95
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April 14, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Paperboy
Starting at: $16.95
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April 16, 1951 Life Magazine Esther Williams
Starting at: $17.95
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April 21, 1951 Saturday Evening Post Oregon Baseball
Starting at: $16.95
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April 23, 1951 Life Magazine Dalai Lama
Starting at: $17.95
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April 24, 1951 Look Magazine Yankee Shortstop baseball player
Starting at: $15.95