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Time Inc. Life Editorial Records

Call Number

MS 3009-RG 9

Date

1937-2013, inclusive

Creator

Time, inc.

Extent

49.45 Linear feet in 42 record cartons, 3 flat boxes, and 1 microfilm box including 8 reels of microfilm

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The Life Editorial Records include files from offices and staff that produced both the original version of Life and the revived monthly version.

Historical Note

For the majority of Time Inc.'s existence, the company maintained a strict separation of editorial from the publishing and business side of each magazine, colloquially called the separation of "church" (editorial) and "state" (publishing). Editorial includes the editors, researchers, and art department. The editorial side reported up to the editor-in-chief and the publishing/business side reported up to the corporate business executive which was the president prior to 1960 and the chief executive officer after. Henry Luce structured Time Inc. this way so that the business side could not (in theory) influence the editorial content of the publications. For example, the advertising sales people could not interfere with a magazine's decision to run an article on the dangers of cigarette smoking, even though it might mean losing millions of dollars in tobacco ads.

Time Inc. published the first issue of Life on November 23, 1936. In the initial proposal to the board, the specifications were that it would be the same size as the Illustrated London News, printed on shiny paper with around 200 high-quality photographs recording significant current news events including detailed captions. Because the suggested price would be 10 cents per issue, the initial title was Dime, The Show-Book of the World. According to Elson, staff and charter subscribers were asked to submit other names, and the title Life was suggested by both cofounder Henry Luce's wife Clare Luce and Time Inc. president James Linen's father. Since the name was already in use by another publication, Luce purchased it in order to acquire the rights.

The first staff members in 1936 were Luce as managing editor with John Martin as an alternate, Daniel Longwell as picture editor, Alfred Eisenstaedt and Peter Stackpole as staff photographers, and Mary Fraser as copy chief.

For financial reasons, Time Inc. suspended production of Life as a weekly magazine in December 1972, but began planning a revival almost immediately. The Magazine Development department published the first Life special in 1973 as a newsstand magazine followed by nine more. Time Inc. revived Life as a monthly in 1978. In 2000, publication was again suspended, but revived in 2004 as a newspaper supplement. In 2007, Time Inc. completely ceased printing of Life and created a website for images from the collection.

Citations:

Elson, Robert T. 1968. Time Inc.: The Intimate History of a Publishing Enterprise, 1923-1941. New York: Atheneum.

Hooper, Bill. Email to Holly Deakyne, 10 June 2016.

Prendergast, Curtis, and Geoffrey Colvin. 1986. The World of Time Inc.: The Intimate History of a Changing Enterprise, 1960-1980. New York: Atheneum.

Time To Stop Publishing Life Magazine, Will Keep It Online. U.S. News. CNBC, 26 March 2007. https://www.cnbc.com/id/17797635.

Arrangement Note

Organized into ten series:

Series I. General Files

Series II. Managing Editor Files

Series III. Executive Editor Eleanor Graves Files

Series IV. Senior Editor Files

Series V. Staff Writer Dora Jane Hamblin Research Interviews for That Was the Life

Series VI. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt Files

Series VII. Letters Department Reports

Series VIII. Consent Releases

Series IX. John Loengard Interview Project Videotapes

Series X. Book Copy Files: LIFE: The Greatest Adventures of All Time

Scope and Contents Note

The Life Editorial Records include files from offices and staff that produced both the original version of Life and the revived monthly version. The Managing Editors (ME) begin with the last ME of the original Life. Other staff included are one Executive Editor; two Senior Editors, one from the original Life and one from the revived version; two staff photographers, with Alfred Eisenstaedt being one of the original hires at the launch of the magazine; and one staff writer. Records include business correspondence, interoffice memoranda, letters from readers, drafts of articles, audiovisual interviews and oral histories, article proposals, and magazine and corporate policies.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers with the exception of restricted materials. Restricted materials may include privileged attorney correspondence; personnel performance evaluations; contracts and agreements; and records with personally identifiable information. Restricted materials are located in boxes 2221-2225 and R38. Materials created within the past 35 years also may be subject to restriction on a case-by-case basis.

Unreformatted audiovisual material in the collection is not accessible. This includes boxes 2197-2220, 2215, and 2226-2227. Contact the manuscripts curator to discuss access.

Except for microfilm, materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. Although the N-YHS owns this collection as physical property, the donor specifically retains all copyright and all other proprietary rights which may exist. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

This record group should be cited as Time Inc. Life Editorial Records, MS 3009-RG 9, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection are stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Time Inc. in 2015.

Related Materials

This finding aid relates to just one record group of the Time Inc. Records. For information about the other record groups and for overall information about the archives, please see the Guide to the Time Inc. Records (MS 3009). The Henry Luce Papers (MS 3014) were acquired with the Time Inc. Records. The collection of books acquired with the records are cataloged as the Time Inc. Reference Library.

Information about the history of Life and additional records from the editorial offices can be found in the Time Inc. Subject Files (MS 3009-RG 1) and the Time Inc. Annex Files (MS 3009-RG 39). Records from the publishing and business offices are in the Time Inc. Life Publishing and Business Records (MS 3009-RG 26).

Collection processed by

Holly Deakyne, Samantha Brown, Melanie Rinehart

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:51:14 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is in English

Processing Information Note

General Files were processed by Holly Deakyne in 2018. Folders were created for loose items and original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Managing Editor Ralph Graves Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Folders were created for loose items and original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Managing Editor Philip Kunhart Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Correspondence was kept in the original alphabetical order, and order was imposed on the Subject Files. The original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Managing Editor Judith Daniels Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Folders were created for loose items and original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Managing Editor Patricia Ryan Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. The original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Managing Editor Daniel Okrent Files were initially processed by Melanie Rinehart in 2017. Deakyne reorganized them in 2018 and added additionally discovered materials in 2020. Documents were removed from hanging folders and transferred to new housing. Order was imposed after discover of additional files. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Managing Editor General Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Folders were created for loose items and original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Executive Editor Eleanor Graves Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Original folders were retained when possible. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Executive Editor Eleanor Graves Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Senior Editor Gene Farmer Files were processed by Deakyne in 2018. The original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Deakyne created the inventory and other descriptive notes to produce this finding aid. The records were organized into subseries based on the original groupings of folders, and arrangement was imposed within the subseries. The audiovisual material was found separate in three boxes and intellectually listed with the corresponding paper records.

Senior Editor Jonathan Larsen Correspondence was processed by Deakyne in 2018. Original folders were retained when possible. Deakyne created the descriptive notes for this series.

Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt Files were processed by Samantha Brown in 2017. Records were organized into subseries based on the original groupings, and arrangement was imposed within the series. Folders were created for loose items and original folders were retained when possible although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Brown created the inventory and other descriptive notes for this series. Deakyne added to and updated the Honors Received subseries (formerly Scrapbooks and Ephemera) in 2021.

Letters Department Reports were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Microfilm was kept in the original containers and box and in the original order. Deakyne created the descriptive notes for this series.

Consent Releases were processed by Deakyne in 2018. Materials were rehoused from accordian folders to archival folders and arrangement was imposed. Deakyne created the descriptive notes for this series.

John Loengard Interview Project Videotapes were processed by Brown and reorganized by Deakyne in 2018. Brown created the inventory, and Deakyne created the descriptive notes for this series.

Book Copy Files: LIFE: The Greatest Adventures of All Time were processed by Deakyne in 2019. Order was imposed. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Assistant Managing Editor Files for Philip Kunhardt were processed by Deakyne in 2020. Order was imposed. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this series.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024