Description
Original LIFE Magazine — May 14, 1956
LIFE Magazine May 14 1956 features the “Gainsborough Look in New Fashions” on the cover, showcasing a dramatic mid-century fashion interpretation inspired by the elegant portrait style associated with British painter Thomas Gainsborough.
The issue also highlights Henry Wallace explaining why he is anti-Red and pro-Ike, along with a guide for draft-age men, giving the issue a mix of fashion, politics, Cold War-era concerns, and everyday American life.
- Cover Subject: Gainsborough Look in New Fashions
- Inside This Issue: Mid-1950s fashion inspired by the Gainsborough look; Henry Wallace on being anti-Red and pro-Eisenhower; a guide for draft-age men; plus LIFE’s signature news reporting, photography, culture, and period advertising from 1956.
- Completeness: Complete original issue of LIFE Magazine, not a reproduction.
- Perfect For: Vintage fashion collectors, 1950s style enthusiasts, Cold War history collectors, Eisenhower-era political memorabilia collectors, birthday gifts, and collectors of original LIFE Magazines.
This original issue preserves the reporting, photography, advertisements, and editorial presentation seen by LIFE readers in May 1956, making it an authentic snapshot of mid-century American fashion, politics, and culture.
Original LIFE Magazines are authentic issues published between 1936 and 2000.
Pg… 36 THE WEEK’S EVENTS: Flying Feet Produce a Thrilling Day of Sports
Pg… 42 THE WEEK’S EVENTS: A Look at the World’s Week
Pg… 44 THE WEEK’S EVENTS: Alben Barkley, a Great Campaigner: His Last Audience is the Nation
Pg… 53 THE WEEK’S EVENTS: The Nation Learns that the Second Best Air Force is not Good Enough
Pg… 61 THE WEEK’S EVENTS: Interior Secretary McKay, Who Quit to Fight Senator Wayne Morse, Finds Oregon Primary Fight is Tough
Pg… 66 THE WEEK’S EVENTS: Grace and Rainier’s Official Wedding Picture?in Color (Grace Kelly’s Offical Wedding Photo)
Pg… 48 EDITORIALS: Danger: Pettifoggers at Work
Pg… 48 EDITORIALS: Step Toward State of Alaska
Pg… 104 PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAYS: The Grand Canyon’s Hidden Wonders are Revealed on a Long Trek Into Places Few Have Ever Seen. Photographed for LIFE by A.Y. Owen
Pg… 151 PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAYS: Melton’s Miracle: the Head of Pittsburgh’s First Family Leads His City Into a Renaissance
Pg… 87 ARTICLES: Genteel Queen of Crime, Whodunit Writer Agatha Christie, Puts Her Zest for Life Into Murder. By Nigel Dennis
Pg… 174 ARTICLES: Henry Wallace Describes His Thoughts on Communism and Peace and Tells Why He Supports Eisenhower as the Man to Avoid an “Atomic Abyss”
Pg… 69 MILITARY AFFARIRS: What to Do About the Draft? LIFE Presents a Guide for Young Men facing Military Service and for Their Parents
Pg… 79 MOVIES: New Star Cathy Dunn, 7, Sees Her Movie, “Lovers and Lollipops,” with Her Friend, Veteran Star Richie Andrusco, 10
Pg… 115 MEDICINE: A 49–Year–Old Veteran is Chief of a Salt Lake Nursing Service and Opens Up a New Career for Men
Pg… 123 NIGHTCLUBS: Ex–Movies Queen Constance Bennett, 51, Rocks and Rolls in Dungarees to Kid the Teen–Agers
Pg… 129 SEQUEL: Korean Orphan, “the Boy Who Wouldn’t Smile,” Finds a Happy Home in the U.S.
Pg… 132 FASHION: An Old Mater is Back in Style: Gainsborough Girls Grace Parties Again
Pg… 138 MODERN LIVING: A Pipsqueak Sailboat Costs $30 to Build
Pg… 143 EDUCATION: The Gifted High School Students Who Won Big Scholarships Display Varied Talents
Pg… 163 SPORTS: Crooner Frankie Laine and Golfer Gene Littler Hit the Jackpot in the Las Vegas Calcutta Golf Pool
Pg… 171 HISTORY: Biggest Collection of U.S. Swords
Pg… 195 PARTIES: Visit to Texas Ranch Gives Foreign Ambassadors and Unstarched View of the U.S.
Pg… 14 OTHER DEPARTMENTS: Speaking of Pictures: Big–Scale Manhattan Model
Pg… 21 OTHER DEPARTMENTS: Letters to the Editors
Pg… 198 OTHER DEPARTMENTS: Miscellany: Peggy the Portable Pony
