Cover Story: The Art of American Magazine Covers 1900-1950

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Readers should forgive the authors this tangled hyperbole--"The magazine cover is to twentieth-century United States history what cave markings were to prehistoric man" --because they have chosen the cream of the crop of illustrated covers for this luscious volume. Magazines really do capture the essence of the moment in culture, freeze-framing fashion, be it graphical, linguistic, or sartorial. Just like the examples of illustrated book jackets in this title's sister book, Jackets Required , Heller and Fili's selections epitomize successful collaborations between graphic designers, writers, and marketers. This is commercial illustration at its most alluring and sophisticated as practiced in every sphere of trade magazines, from Good Housekeeping and Town & Country to Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar, Popular Science, and even New Masses. It's particularly interesting to see magazines now known for their photography, such as Life and Vogue, sporting glorious illustrated covers, and it's even more intriguing to see the marvelous covers of little-known, short-lived magazines, from the pulps to literary journals. Donna Seaman


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Uncle Sam. The Gibson Girl. Some of America's most memorable images made their debuts on the covers of magazines. During the Golden Age of the American magazine cover, the corner newsstand was a veritable gallery for some of the country's leading illustrators, artists, and cartoonists. This volume showcases over 200 remarkable covers from publications as diverse as Saturday Evening Post, Harper's Bazaar, Fortune, Good Housekeeping, and Vanity Fair. 280 color illustrations.


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