Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - January 19, 1986
by Susie Dewey
Vigo County Historical Society

Magazines' heydey
Periodicals reflect 1920's lifestyles

Four magazines from the 1910 to 1920 decade of American publishing are the treasures of the week from the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St.

The periodicals help explain the great literary output of Americans during the period and the following decades. They also give pictures of the day-to-day intimate lifestyles of the people who bought and read them.

For people did buy these monthly magazines. Even by today's sales standards, the Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Home Life and American Home Needlework magazines had large circulations, both subscription and newsstand. Sales of 500,000 copies to nearly a million were testaments to the popularity of the magazines in a country which had a population of only 91,972,266 in 1910.

The magazines have been carefully preserved by the Vigo County Historical Society for the pictures of American life they show.

The September 1917 issue of Good Housekeeping, a gift from Frances Hughes, contains not only fiction, non-fiction, poetry and illustrations, but also advertisements and recipes for the products popular at the time.

For all its appeal to women readers, who by-and-large were homemakers, the authors in this issue were top-rate. A short story "A Hidden People," was written by Sinclair Lewis. Another story was by John Galsworthy, the famous English novelist who later wrote "The Forsythe Saga." Eleanor Wilson McAdoo, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson wrote "Women and Liberty Loans."

The cover by Coles Phillips depicts a woman in a daring black dress singing near the accompanist at a grand piano. The singer proudly clutches a bouquet of red roses. Perhaps the cover represents escapism or wish fulfillment for the woman tied close to the kitchen.

The pages of recipes and the cleaning hints show that the woman who read Sinclair Lewis also spent time cooking and cleaning. The ads for Bon Ami, Ivory Soap and Sapolio never let her forget her chores.

Crisco, using the format of the motion picture film recently made popular, urged the reader to try a new apple pie recipe. An "Eat More Cornmeal" article was ahead of its time in putting bulk in the diet. Baker's Cocoa and Armour meat products provided variety in the diet.

The Home Needlework Magazine for April 1915 was designed especially for the woman whose hands were never idle. For 10 cents, she could learn to make three pretty bags, baby caps and shoes, sofa pillows, camisoles, lingerie and collars. The art of crocheting was emphasized. The skilled crocheter could make centerpieces for the table as well as beautiful christening caps for babies. China decoration for beginners opened new fields for the home artist. One advertisement delightfully vague, told of a self-heating iron with no wires.

Home Life for October 1911 looks like a modern Sunday supplement. It only costs 5 cents and was published in Chicago. To encourage the sale of subscriptions, premiums were offered to those who sold multiple subscriptions. Among the rewards, an eight-piece, hand-painted Japanese chocolate set makes modern collectors drool with envy.

The article, "Divorce Laws Should be Unified," shows that this publication appealed to the more daring woman reader.

Kellogg's Toasted Cornflakes were urged upon women who didn't provide a hot breakfast for their families. Yet the most appealing ad might be from Union Pacific, offering a trip from Chicago to California for $33. The train would include a diner and lounge car where Victrola concerts were available three times a day. Full meals would be purchased in the diner for 50 cents.

This magazine appealed to travelers and the daring people who talked about divorce and cold cereal.

The August issue of Cosmopolitan was not a slick magazine by Helen Gurley Brown. It contained an Edwin Markham poem "Vergelia," his first published love poem. A picture of John Paul Jones, the naval hero, was on the cover. Ambrose Bierce in the "Jury in Ancient America," looks back from the year 3687 at American Justice.

In addition to the usual ads for Pear Soap, scouring powders and pots and pans, the magazine has a section of ads for schools and colleges;. Obviously the readership was more affluent and education-oriented than in many other magazines. Many Terre Haute residents attended Mary Baldwin School, which is prominently advertised.

The magazine sold for 10 cents per copy or $1 per year.

These magazines are only four examples of the many periodicals which flourished in 1910 to 1920. They provided outlet and income for writers and illustrators. They raised the sights and enriched the lives of women in their traditional roles.

Today, few such magazines enjoy the wide circulation and the popularity that these did. They are true treasures and will reward all who look at them. Three-quarters of a century after publication, they are still fulfilling their functions.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.