Nowadays you can still spot a LIFE Magazine in a supermarket or pharmacy, only ever as some "commemorative issue" dedicated to some very specific historical or pop culture crevice. But between 1936 and 1972 it was a weekly publication that seemed to become a staple of... life. It was the hip, new alternative to the newspaper, tackling important stories (there were a few during those decades) as much through the use of pictures as words, thus giving more credibility to the art of Photojournalism.
This issue is dated October 31, 1960 - Halloween. Because of that, the cover story is dedicated to Trick-or-Treating which, in practice, had only been really popular for about ten years at that point, so it was definitely newsworthy. But surrounding that whimsy are lots of doors and windows and clues throughout the issue that give us a solid sense of the world during that week. Wedged in between all the booze and cigarette and butter advertisements, there were multiple promos for Butterfield 8 with Liz Taylor, and also troubling news as the threat of Communism heats up as Cuba starts to become something to worry about. And that indirectly relates to the real atmosphere that hangs heavy in these pages: the U.S. Presidential election was a week away, when John Kennedy would narrowly win against Richard Nixon. The 1960s were officially about to begin.
In the meantime, while some innocence and idealism still existed, photographer George Silke took pictures of his kids and their friends "masquerading", using a camera specifically designed for the "photo finish" on racetracks. Everything considered, the results are haunting and layered. (It's probably my own morbid fascination that makes me wonder if any of these kids ended up in Vietnam.) LIFE Magazines were roughly the size of a medium pizza box, so I've included the best and most pertinent parts of that article that my technology would allow. As noted in the issue's intro, "It's funny and it won't scare the kids."
- Paul
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