01/23/2026
While LIFE showed its readers the people, places, and things they might never know about or see in person, the magazine also reflected the everyday lives of its readers, their families, and communities. Childhood â as seen in Yale Joelâs photograph of a young Little Leaguer waiting impatiently for the pants of his uniform and Leonard McCombeâs photograph of a grandfather and his grandson shooting the breeze with other railroad workers â was universal. As was daily work, regardless of whether you were a group of oil field roustabouts in Texas as captured by Carl Mydans, or monks hustling to church in Italy as pictured by Alfred Eisenstaedt.
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The importance of home and a sense of belonging was highlighted in LIFEâs 1952 photo essay by Leonard McCombe, published on the occasion of McCombeâs official USA citizenship after 7 years in America. McCombe spent a lonely first summer in New York at the age of 23, documenting the idiosyncrasies and frustrations of his new home.
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âI began to notice the difference in my own countrymen. Iâd never even seen men eating ice cream (that was only a childrenâs treat in England),â McCombe said, âbut by now â seven years after I set foot on American soil â I have been buffeted and shaped until I fit. I feel I am a citizen of the place where I belong.â
Our current exhibition, âLooking at LIFE,â continues through February 7th. We look forward to seeing you here!
1. Yale Joel: Little League spokesman voices playersâ demand for pants, Manchester, NH, 1954
2-4. LIFE Magazine, June 28, 1954
5. Leonard McCombe: Little boy with railroad workers, Arkansas, 1955
6-7. LIFE Magazine, August 29, 1955
8. Carl Mydans: Roustabouts take time off from their job, Freer, TX, 1937
9. Alfred Eisenstaedt: Monks along the River Arno, Florence, Italy, 1935
10. Leonard McCombe: Men enjoying ice cream, Iowa State Fair, 1952
11. LIFE Magazine, August 17, 1953
leonardmccombe photography photojournalism artexhibition staleywisegallery