Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - December 30. 1984
By Amy Mason
Vigo County Historical Society

1901 calendar features ornate, stylish design

Do you have your l985 calendar ready to begin the new year? If not, you will find them in large stacks in bookstores and card and gift shops with colorful pictures for each month.

The great variety of subjects this year range from cats, dogs and teddy bears to landscapes, beautiful girls and muscular men. Commercial calendars, too are still available for the business world, varying in size from large wall calendars to those small plastic cards to carry in your wallet.

Calendars of one sort or another go back thousands of years. The calendar as we know it owes its origins to the Egyptians , who worked out a system of 12 months in the solar year, a formula later adopted by the Romans. In America, the calendar was still undergoing change during the 18th century. The "New Style" was adopted in the 1750s.

Almost since its beginning, the printed calendar has been a valuable advertising and promotion medium in America. It began to reach its peak after 1870, when along with almanacs and trade cards, it became a popular giveaway.
Our treasure of the week is such a calendar. This unusual calendar is dated 1901. It was distributed by the The Youth's Companion, probably the most popular and long-lived magazine ever published in the United States for children, and indeed, the whole family.

Begun by Nathaniel Willis in Boston, it has a life of more than 100 years. The first issue was dated April 16, 1827; the last issue, September 1929. Its weekly appearance was eagerly awaited in thousands of homes. At the height of its popularity it had more than half a million subscribers.

Famous authors of the period wrote stories and poems for it. Often articles written by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson appeared in the magazine.

Old original calendars, whole and in good condition, are hard to locate. Our rare treasure is in fine condition, still in good color and retains its monthly divisions unmarred.

The calendar folds into an envelope-type shape with a flap. Completely unfolded to serve as a wall calendar, it measures 25 inches. Both front and back are decorated.

Unfolded, the calendar appears as two shields, one above the other. On the upper half of the front is a head and shoulders portrait of a beautiful blond young woman. She is dressed in a dark blue pilgrim type dress and cap. The cap has an inner white ruffle. A white fichu is crossed in front over her dress. Above her head is a spray of pink roses.

Below the picture, on the lower shield, are scattered the months, in small shields with ornate gilt borders. Pink roses are scattered among them. At the bottom are the words "Compliments of The Youth's Companion."

On the back of the calendar, in an oval with a decorative border, is The Companion's advertisement. In part, its "message" says: "The Companion presents this souvenir calendar to its subscribers and friends with its greetings for 1901...Three generations have become familiar with its weekly visits. In more than half a million households it is now the family paper...

"It is the constant purpose of The Companion to entertain, instruct, and help; to be a potent influence for good: and to develop and satisfy a taste for the best in literature..."

A design of red and white stripes and red roses coordinates the back with the front of the calendar.

Doubtless there are many readers who remember this outstanding magazine. It was a sad day for readers (though it was combined with American Boy) when the Youth's Companion ceased to be published in 1929.