Mr. Magazine

A century ago, we were more culturally and artistically advanced. Magazines in the 1920s shined a very bright light on art and culture. One such magazine, albeit short lived, Art Lovers’ Magazine, is but one example of a cultural and artistic publication from 100 years ago when magazines ruled the media world. Here is its story:

Introduction

Lewd Vs. Nude:

The Story of Art Lovers’ Magazine 1925-1927

A century ago, marked the golden age of magazines. Giants like TIME, Reader’s Digest, The New Yorker, and Better Homes and Gardens were launched, and the industry was abuzz. Magazine launches flooded newsstands and mailboxes across the country, providing a singular source of information, education, and entertainment—all in one package. In the 1920s, magazines were the only mass media serving the American public “from sea to shining sea.”

Newspapers were local, and so was the theater. Radio didn’t achieve widespread popularity until the late 1920s, and even then, it remained largely localized. Movies in the early 1920s were purely a form of entertainment, gaining mass appeal later in the decade when sound was added to moving pictures.

For those who believe niche publishing is a recent trend in magazine publishing—think again. The 1920s saw the emergence of numerous specialized magazines targeting very specific audiences.

This book-in-a-blog focuses on one magazine in particular: Art Lovers’, which was published from January 1925 to January 1927. While the spotlight is on Art Lovers’, I won’t ignore the many other art magazines of the same genre that came before and after it.

Art Lovers’ never claimed to be, like many of its competitors, “a magazine for artists and art students”. Instead, it positioned itself as a magazine about art—and all that the word “art” entails. Like similar publications of the time, it featured nude art and imagery, but it also included extended fiction, stories, and articles by renowned authors and artists.

Art Lovers’ took an extra step in addressing its audience, clarifying that although the magazine contained nude images, they were not lewd images. Hence the title of this book-in-a-blog: Lewd vs. Nude: The Story of Art Lovers’ Magazine, 1925–1927.

I hope you will enjoy this weekly journey starting today and every Monday.

All the best

Samir “Mr. Magazine™ ”Husni, Ph.D.