WOMENS MAGAZINES
OF THE 1920's, 1930's, and the 1940's
another "content over style" web page from Steve Johnson Cyberheritage
or "how to " with cherries and custard!
or all about constipation and hot flushes!
This web page looks at women's magazines and some of the adverts they contained in the decades from the late 1920`s to the mid to late 1940`s. the adverts that I have picked have to a large extent been governed by the position of them to the spine of the magazine and the actual physical condition of the magazine. Many interesting adverts could not be used as to scan them would harm the publication which in all cases is now over half a century old. This explains why there are a fair number of car ads...they appearing at the more prestige pages at the start pages of an issue. This is a shame as many of the more interesting ones are hidden somewhere in the middle.
That said I hope you find this selection of great interest. Looking at them will make you realise how thankfully times have changed for women, and that wartime certainly gave them a hand...it is a hand that must not be allowed to slip. Women in the last century and early 20th paid a heavy price for common suffrage, while women who went to the factories in the wartime gave birth to girls who would take this struggle on through the sixties and seventies to achieve what has been seen to be the almost 99.9% equality with men, certainly not 100%; at least in the western world.
GALLERY on most images, the date of the advert is in the file name e.g. oxo43.jpg means 1943. It is interesting to see how many brand names still exist today.
1920's
"Nash`s" 1st. August 1929 ....seen above:
advertising material from this edition
Actress Eve Gray, ...Birds custard, .....Gal perfumes,....Ovaltine cold drink,.....Del Monte tinned peaches,....Kellogg`s cornflakes,......a £1,000 seaside home in Sussex...that was expensive!!
1930's
"Nash's" of , February 1935, ....March 1936, ....April 1935, ....August 1936, ....September 1934, ....December 1932
My favourite is March 1936, so here is a 1:1 scan of it, large 325k, but worth it.
click on this image to enlarge "Ladies Companion" December 1937
Looking at this one illustrated here, Christmas in these times must have been so simple, unlike the mass buying hysteria of today.
Advertising material taken from the various issues above:
Birds Custard....1.....2....3........4(seen at title)
Vauxhall cars...Big Six....1.....2....
"She loved him...But"...a Horlicks advert
1940`s
"Women`s Illustrated" July 1940
"Everywoman" September 1940,.....September 1941,.......April 1945
"Britannia and Eve"....January 1940.......February 1940.....February 1941......July 1943.......September 1943.....March 1946
Advertising material taken from the issues above, except * which are from 1945 editions of "Girl`s Own Paper.":
Bird`s custard....1......2......3
OXO.....1*.....2*.....3*.....4........5
...perilous years for girls!!!.........oh my?!!
watch your weight girls.....if you think todays weight discrimination is over the top, ..look at this....!!
Knights Castille soap....or Norma has an admirer!
old at 30, young at 40...(thats me!!)
Beecham`s Pills...1.....2(constipation)
Constipated.....California Syrup of Figs
DO YOU HAVE A DOCTOR SQUEALER?
Horlicks...or the girl who was too popular
All Bran...or teacher learns a lesson.
DDD ...for a wonderful complexion?!!
a STRANGE ? skin test?
These adverts you will see now are taken from 1940`s editions of "Britannia and Eve." They to me, show some women in a better role, or rather a changed role.
OXO AND THE WAR
Squander Bug warning
Mansion Polish, mice in gas masks
a message in a wartime women`s magazine
click on it to enlarge
and now those women`s thingy`s!....sshhhh
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF MARRIAGE**
**no wonder I am a failure, Mother never told me all this!
after the war........
