Anyway, I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey. All the way back to 1955. This is the cover of an Australian Home Journal from April 1st 1955. I have a few of these which all used to belong to someone named Watson (she wrote her name on the top right). Sorry the pictures are taken with my camera. My scanner died. Hopefully you can click on the pictures to make them bigger. ETA: If you right click and go to 'open in a new tab' you can make them bigger and see the text. Apparently, blogger now has a weird thing where you can't make the pictures bigger by just clicking on them.
Inside they have pictures of the patterns that you could order by mail. I want all of them.
Alongside the patterns are little paragraphs about the lastest trends. Example:
"The New Line? The question in every woman's mind just now is, 'What is going to happen about Dior's 'H' line and his even newer 'A' line, and how much will they affect styles out there?' As yet no one knows the answer. The matter is controversial."
Controversial? If you say so.
How amazing is that dress on the left with the buttons and the pleating?
Aside from all the pretty dresses there are also some ads that make my feminist self nauseous. There are a disturbing number of these for laxatives/diet pills. This is only a small sampling.
'Tonic reducing globules' sounds way scary.
Least you think these were only aimed at adults, here is one for the kiddies. The ad actually says, "They're not habit-forming". Oh, that's so reassuring to know little Joan won't become addicted to laxatives.
On a less scary note, this ad on the back cover tickles me because you can still buy Arnott's milk arrowroot biscuits here. They are yummy!
The job sounds great. I also have some of these magazines and agree that the advertising is scary. A few of mine have letters in them ... how to make hubby happy etc. To my surprise, the third dress from the left in the 3rd photo is one I just sold on trademe as it was a very large size and I have found scaling down patterns too difficult.
ReplyDeleteSome of mine have that sort of thing too. Makes me quite glad to be living in 2011 and not 1955. That's so cool. I love finding those little vintage connections, like seeing something you own in an old magazine.
ReplyDeleteI love milk arrowroots!
ReplyDeleteThe old journals are wonderful,but aren't those ads terrifying?! I don't think many of us really could cut living in those times,despite the pretty frocks!
XXX
I just love old magazines, they are such a great source of inspiration.
ReplyDeletePaid for research? Sounds genuinely awesome.
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