New York Stories: The LOOK Magazine Collection at the Museum of the City of New York

In June 2005, KenAllenStudios undertook an ongoing project to digitize film originals from the LOOK Magazine collection at the Museum of the City of New York. Organized by assignment, this collection of iconic and vernacular imagery from the 1930s through the 1950s was virtually hidden away in room full of 3-ring binders filled with negatives, many of which had never before been published. Because of this format, these images were difficult and time-consuming for scholars or curators to view.

The film is in multiple formats, including 8x10 in. and 4x5 in. pack film, 2 1/4 in., and 35 mm film; film types in order of prevalence are Super XX, Tri-X, Plus-X, Ektachrome, Kodachrome, Agfa B&W, Ilford B&W, and Agfa Infrared B&W. In total there are 2,300 assignments of which 500 (22%) have been scanned as of March 2008. Approximately 40,000 digital images are now available for curators and researchers to review digitally. Two exhibitions at the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) came out of this project.

Image: Michael A. Vaccaro

LOOK images are available for licensing from the Museum of the City of New York by visiting their website or callling (212)534-1672