''PM'' was a liberal-leaning daily newspaper published in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

by Ralph Ingersoll from June 1940 to June 1948 and financed by

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

millionaire

Marshall Field III Marshall Field III (September 28, 1893 – November 8, 1956) was an American investment banker, publisher, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist, grandson of businessman Marshall Field, heir to the Marshall Field department store fortune, ...

. The paper borrowed many elements from weekly news magazines, such as many large photos and at first was bound with staples. In an attempt to be free of pressure from business interests, it did not accept advertising. These departures from the norms of newspaper publishing created excitement in the industry. Some 11,000 people applied for the 150 jobs available when the publication first hired staff.

Publication history

The origin of the name is unknown, although Ingersoll recalled that it probably referred to the fact that the paper appeared '' post meridiem'' (in the afternoon); ''The New Yorker'' reported that the name had been suggested by Lillian Hellman. (There is no historical evidence for the suggestion that the name was an abbreviation of ''Picture Magazine''.) The first year of the paper was a general success, though it was already in some financial trouble: its circulation of 100,000–200,000 was insufficient. Circulation averaged 165,000, but the paper never managed to sell the 225,000 copies a day it needed to break even.

had become the paper's funder; quite unusually, he was a "silent partner" in this continually money-losing undertaking. According to a June 21, 1966, memo from Ingersoll: ''PM'' was sold in 1948 and published its final issue on June 22. The next day it was replaced by the '' New York Star'', which folded on January 28, 1949.

Politics

There were accusations that the paper was Communist-dominated, but others have said that the paper frequently opposed the policies of the Communist Party (CP) and engaged into editorial battles with the CP's paper, the ''

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...

''.

Staff

Editors

Leo Huberman was labor editor.

Writers

I. F. Stone Isidor Feinstein "I. F." Stone (December 24, 1907 – June 18, 1989) was an American investigative journalist, writer, and author. Known for his politically progressive views, Stone is best remembered for ''I. F. Stone's Weekly'' (1953–1971), ...

was the paper's

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

correspondent. He published an award-winning series on European

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

refugees attempting to run the British blockade to reach Palestine (later collected and published as ''

Underground to Palestine ''Underground to Palestine'' is a 1946 book by American journalist I. F. Stone chronicling some of the hundreds of thousands of Holocaust survivors attempting to reach the Jewish homeland in Mandatory Palestine from post-WWII displaced persons ...

''). Staffers included theater critic

Louis Kronenberger Louis Kronenberger (December 9, 1904April 30, 1980) was an American literary critic (longest with '' Time'', (1938-1961), novelist, and biographer who wrote extensively on drama and the 18th century. Background Kronenberger was born in Cincinna ...

and film critic Cecelia Ager. Kenneth G. Crawford wrote for ''PM'' from 1939 to 1942. The sports writers were

Tom Meany Thomas William Meany (September 21, 1903 – September 11, 1964) was an American sports writer who mostly covered baseball in the New York City area. Biography Meany's love of sports began at St. John's Prep in Brooklyn, where he wrote for the ...

, Tom O’Reilly and George F. T. Ryall, who covered

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. Sophie Smoliar was the New York City reporter working frequently with photographer Arthur Felig ("Weegee") (submitted by her son and a collection of her original articles). Elizabeth Hawes wrote about fashion, and her sister Charlotte Adams covered food.

Contributors

Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, published more than 400 cartoons on ''PM'''s editorial page. Crockett Johnson's

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

'' Barnaby'' debuted in the paper in 1942. Other artists who worked at ''PM'' included Ad Reinhardt, one of the founders of Abstract Expressionism, and Joseph Leboit; both contributed margin cartoons and drawings. Noted artist

Jack Coggins Jack Banham Coggins (July 10, 1911 – January 30, 2006) was an artist, author, and illustrator. He is known in the United States for his oil paintings, which focused predominantly on marine subjects. He is also known for his books on space tra ...

contributed wartime artwork for at least nine issues between 1940 and 1942.

Coulton Waugh Frederick Coulton Waugh (; 10 March 1896 – 23 May 1973) was a cartoonist, painter, teacher and author, best known for his illustration work on the comic strip ''Dickie Dare'' and his book ''The Comics'' (1947), the first major study of the fi ...

created his short-lived strip, ''Hank'', which began April 30, 1945, in ''PM''. The story of a disabled G.I. returning to civilian life, ''Hank'' had a unique look due to Waugh's decorative art style, combined with dialogue lettered in upper and lower case rather than the accepted convention of all uppercase lettering in balloons and captions. Some dialogue was displayed with white lettering reversed into black balloons. ''Hank'' sought to raise questions about the reasons for war, and how it might be prevented by the next generation. Waugh discontinued it at the very end of 1945 because of eyestrain. Cartoonist

Jack Sparling John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...

created the short-lived comic strip '' Claire Voyant'', which ran from 1943 to 1948 in ''PM'', and which was subsequently syndicated by the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...

''. Cartoonist Howard Sparber (''né'' Howard Paul Sparber; 1921–2018) contributed after World War II. The Argentine Cartoonist Dante Quinterno publishes:

Patoruzú Patoruzú is a Comics, comic character created in 1928 by Dante Quinterno and is considered the most popular hero of Argentina, Argentine comics. Patoruzú is a wealthy Tehuelche people, Tehuelche ''cacique'' with great estate properties in Pat ...

his successful strip in South America. Other writers who contributed articles included

Erskine Caldwell Erskine Preston Caldwell (December 17, 1903 – April 11, 1987) was an American novelist and short story writer. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States, in novels such as '' Tobacco Road'' (1 ...

, Myril Axlerod,

McGeorge Bundy McGeorge "Mac" Bundy (March 30, 1919 – September 16, 1996) was an American academic who served as the U.S. National Security Advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 through 1966. He was president of the Ford Foun ...

, Saul K. Padover,

James Wechsler James Arthur Wechsler (October 31, 1915 – September 11, 1983) was an American journalist who worked as a newspaper columnist, Washington bureau chief, editor-in-chief, and editorial page editor of The ''New York Post''. He was a prominent vo ...

, eventually the paper's editorial writer,

Penn Kimball Penn Townsend Kimball II (October 12, 1915 – November 8, 2013) was an American journalist and college professor at Columbia University, most notable for suing the American government in the mid 1980s after his discovery that the FBI and CIA c ...

, later a professor at the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism ...

Myril Axelrod Bennett Myril Axelrod Bennett (April 4, 1920 – January 21, 2014) was one of the first female executives in the advertising industry. Biography She was born Myril Jessica Davidson on April 4, 1920, in Weehawken, New Jersey, and was raised in Jersey Ci ...

Heywood Hale Broun Heywood Hale Broun (; March 10, 1918 – September 5, 2001) was an American author, sportswriter, commentator and actor. He was born and reared in New York City, the son of writer and activist Ruth Hale and newspaper columnist Heywood Broun. E ...

James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected ...

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

, Eugene Lyons, Earl Conrad,

Benjamin Stolberg Benjamin Stolberg (1891–1951) was an American journalist and labor activist. Career Stolberg worked as associate editor of '' The Bookman'', as well as a columnist for leading US newspapers, such as ''The New York Times'' and the ''New York ...

Louis Adamic Louis Adamic ( sl, Alojzij Adamič; March 23, 1898 – September 4, 1951) was a Slovene-American author and translator, mostly known for writing about and advocating for ethnic diversity of the United States. Background Louis Adamic ...

Malcolm Cowley Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), his lyrical memoir, ''Exile's Return' ...

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...

(later

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

; and

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

Photographers

Weegee Arthur (Usher) Fellig (June 12, 1899 – December 26, 1968), known by his pseudonym Weegee, was a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography in New York City. Weegee worked in Manhattan's Lower Eas ...

Margaret Bourke-White Margaret Bourke-White (; June 14, 1904 – August 27, 1971), an American photographer and documentary photographer, became arguably best known as the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of Soviet industry under the Soviets' ...

, Ray Platnick and

Arthur Leipzig Arthur Leipzig (October 25, 1918 – December 5, 2014) was an American photographer who specialized in street photography and was known for his photographs of New York City. Career Leipzig was born in Brooklyn. After sustaining a serious injury ...

were the primary photographers. * Julius "Skippy" Adelman (born around 1924) * John Albert ''(né'' John Joseph Albert; 1910–1972) * Bernie Aumuller ''(né'' Bernard A. Aumuller; 1920–1971), his father, Bernard George Aumuller (1895–1975) was also a photographer * Gene Badger *

(1904–1971) * Hugh Broderick ''(né'' Hugh J. Broderick; 1910–1971) * William "Bill" Brunk ''(

Los Angeles Examiner The ''Los Angeles Examiner'' was a newspaper founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst in Los Angeles, California. The afternoon ''Los Angeles Herald-Express'' and the morning ''Los Angeles Examiner'', both of which had been publishing in th ...

)'' * John S. DeBiase (1901–1954) * John Derry * Stephen Derry * David Eisendrath, Jr. ''(né'' David Benjamin Eisendrath; 1914–1988) *

Morris Engel Morris Engel (April 8, 1918 – March 5, 2005) was an American photographer, cinematographer and filmmaker best known for making the first good-quality, internationally-recognized American film "independent" of Hollywood studios, '' Little Fugi ...

(1918–2005) * Alan Fischer * Morris Gordon (1918–2005) * Irving Haberman ''(né'' Isaac Haberman; 1916–2003) * Martin Harris (1908–1971) * Dan Israel * Charles Fenno Jacobs (1904–1974) * Dan Keleher, ''(né'' Daniel J. Keleher, Jr., 1908–1952) * Peter Killian *

''(né'' Isidore Leipzig; 1918–2014) *

Helen Levitt Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer and cinematographer. She was particularly noted for her street photography around New York City. David Levi Strauss described her as "the most celebrated and leas ...

(1913–2009) * Leo Lieb ''(né'' Morris Leo Lieb; 1909–2001) * Ray Platnick ''(né'' Raphael Platnick; 1917–1986) *

, ''(pseudonym'' of Arthur (Usher) Fellig (1899–1968) * Mary "Morrie" Morris ''(né'' Mary Louise Morris; 1914–2009), one of the first female AP photographers and pioneer of white umbrellas used give a softer look to flash lighting and portraiture. She, in June 1937, married filmmaker Ralph Steiner. In 1963, she married classical record producer for Mercury, Harold Lawrence ''(né'' Harold Levine; 1923–2011), who, at the time, was the General Manager of the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

Contributing photographers

Robert Capa Robert Capa (born Endre Ernő Friedmann; October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a Hungarian-American war photographer and photojournalist as well as the companion and professional partner of photographer Gerda Taro. He is considered by some to b ...

(1913–1954) *

Walker Evans Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans' work from ...

(1903–1975) *

Edward Weston Edward Henry Weston (March 24, 1886 – January 1, 1958) was a 20th-century American photographer. He has been called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers..." and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." ...

(1886–1958) *

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

(1879–1973) * Ralph Steiner (1899–1986)

Sunday magazine section

''Picture News'' was the Sunday magazine section of ''PM.'' : Editor: William Thomas McCleery (1912–2000) : Managing editor: Herbert Yahraes ''(né'' Herbert Conrad Yahraes, Jr.; 1906–1985) : Associate editors: Lorimer Dexter Heywood (1899–1977), Kenneth Stewart, David Rodman Lindsay (1916–1985), Peggy Wright, Gertrude Stamm : Staff:

Raymond Abrashkin Raymond Abrashkin (March 9, 1911 – August 25, 1960) was an American writer and filmmaker. He is known for writing, co-producing, and co-directing '' Little Fugitive'' and for co-creating and co-writing with Jay Williams the '' Danny Dunn'' se ...

(1911–1960), Skippy Adelman,

Holly Beye David Ruff (1925-2007) was an American painter and print maker. In 1950, Ruff and his wife, writer Holly Beye (1922–2011), moved to San Francisco, where Ruff founded the fine art print publishing studio The Print Workshop. His plan was "to pr ...

''(née'' Helen Beye; 1922–2011), W. Russell Bowie, Jr. (1920–2002) (son of Walter Russell Bowie), Mary Morris ''(maiden;'' 1914–2009), Charles Norman (1904–1996), Roger Samuel Pippett (1895–1962), Robert Rice (1916–1998), Selma Robinson ''(maiden;'' 1899–1977) (mother-in-law of Hymen B. Mintz), Dale Rooks ''(né'' Rhine Dale Rooks; 1917–1954) (photographer), Lillian E. Ross ''(née'' Lillian Rosovsky; 1918–2017) : Art director: H. Russell Countryman

Bibliography

* Jason E. Hill: ''Artist as Reporter. Weegee, Ad Reinhardt, and the ''PM'' News Picture.'' University of California Press, Oakland 2018. * Paul Milkman: ''PM. A New Deal in Journalism 1940–1948.'' Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick 1997.

References

External links

Fulton History
newspaper archive for PM
Morris Engel Archive

Old Magazine Articles

{{Authority control Defunct newspapers published in New York City Newspapers established in 1940 Publications disestablished in 1948 Socialist newspapers Daily newspapers published in New York City 1940 establishments in New York City 1948 disestablishments in New York (state)