Picture Post was a photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. It is considered a pioneering example of photojournalism and was an immediate success, selling 1,700,000 copies a week after only two months. It has been called the UK’s equivalent of Life magazine.
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Picture Post covers |
The magazine’s editorial stance was liberal, anti-Fascist and populist and from its inception, Picture Post campaigned against the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. In the 26 November 1938 issue, a picture story was run entitled “Back to the Middle Ages”: Photographs of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring were contrasted with the faces of those scientists, writers and actors they were persecuting.
Here below is a set of vintage photos that shows Picture Post covers from between the 1930s and 1950s.
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No.1, Picture Post, October 1st, 1938 |
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The Queen’s Dressmaker, Picture Post, November 19th, 1938 |
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Carla Lehmann, Picture Post, July 11th, 1942 |
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Easter Special, Picture Post, April 20th, 1946 |
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In Praise of Summer, Picture Post, June 8th, 1946 |
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Mainly Fair, Picture Post, August 3rd, 1946 |
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4Science Fights Famine, Picture Post, May 18th, 1946 |
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Marilyn Monroe, Picture Post, December 13th, 1947 |
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Marilyn Monroe, Picture Post, August 13th, 1949 |
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Winston Churchill, Picture Post, September 3rd, 1949 |
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A Month With Princess Margaret, Picture Post, August 12th, 1950 |
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How Should We Choose Our Allies, Picture Post, September 2nd, 1950 |
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New Star in the Ricefields, Picture Post, March 11th, 1950 |
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Ava Gardner, Picture Post, January 27th, 1951 |
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Richard Burton, Picture Post, August 25th, 1951 |
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Zsa Zsa Gabor, Picture Post, November 29th, 1952 |
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Bridget Bardot, Picture Post, March 24th, 1954 |
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Elizabeth Taylor, Picture Post, March 27th, 1954 |
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Grace Kelly, Picture Post, September 4th, 1954 |
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Janet Leigh, Picture Post, August 7th, 1954 |
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Leslie Caron, Picture Post, July 17th, 1954 |
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Marilyn Monroe, Picture Post, April 24th, 1954 |
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Roberta Cowell, Picture Post, March 13th, 1954 |
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Petula Clark, Picture Post, June 11th, 1955 |
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Lisa Gastoni, Picture Post, May 19th, 1956 |
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Marilyn Monroe, Picture Post, July 14th, 1956 |
(Photo by internet)