The National Geographic Society was founded in January 1888 in Washington, DC, and its journal, entitled the National Geographic Magazine until 1962, first appeared in October: a drab publication, very different from the vibrant magazine it later became. In the 20th century photography, often (like Charles Martin's underwater autochromes, published in 1927) at the cutting edge of what was possible, was central to the magazine's appeal, and it commissioned work by many leading wildlife and scientific specialists, as well as photojournalists. Its first all-colour edition appeared in 1962. At the beginning of the 21st century it has an estimated international readership of 40 million, and the society holds an archive of over 10.5 million photographs.
— Lisa Ann Lavender
Bibliography
- Bendavid-Val, L. (ed.), National Geographic: The Photographs (1994)
