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:

Pruriency vs. Stupidity

The editorial continued, “However, the charges were too ridiculous for serious consideration, and the case was thrown out of court.  Attempted prosecution of a reputable Brooklyn news-dealer for the sale of ART LOVERS’ MAGAZINE also fell flat.

The magazine opined at the end of its editorial, “There is urgent need for a militant anti-vice society, especially in New York City, but frankly we cannot understand a policy of running around to cover undraped statues, putting the stigma of criminality on reproduction of famous nude paintings, and attacking legitimate art publications.”

The irony here is that Art Lovers’ magazine quoted the same newspaper that let a campaign against the art magazines and theatre because of their usage of nudity in their content as mentioned in Chapter 2.  The New York Daily News wrote, and was quoted in the editorial of issue 8, “ There are numerous pecksniffian people who consider that “the nude is rude,” thereby accusing Nature of indecency. In these United States, the land of freedom and prohibition, these ultra-pious persons have formed themselves into Vigilance and Purity leagues, with the result that in several museums and art galleries some of the most famous examples of classical art have of famous statues have had attention drawn to their nudity by being draped in crepe. In one Philadelphia gallery the Purity leaguers have actually immortalized their folly by sewing bathing drawers and a short skirt onto the statue of the far-famed Venus de Milo! Could pruriency and stupidity go farther?”

Reaching out to the NYVSS

Being of moral and ethical background, the Hubbards reach out to the New York  Society for the Suppression of Vice and “offered to publish an account of the “positive side” of its work, but Secretary Sumner replied, “it would be very inappropriate for anyone representing this Society to furnish matter for publication in your magazine.”

The magazine reminded its readers that, “The Hubbard publications have always stood four-square for clean literature, ever since the Hubbard Publishing Co. was established in 1868, and we are willing to cooperate with the Society for the Suppression of Vice or any similar organization with a constructive program.  Our offer of free publicity is still open.”

At the end of the editorial the magazine reminded everyone that, “ART LOVERS’ is the world’s first and original rotogravure art magazine.”

A Soviet Union Link

Having survived the court case, and keeping with its originality, the magazine continued to try to differentiate itself from the rest of the art magazines during the 1920s. It showed great concern with the art, science, and culture of other countries, specifically the Soviet Union and Japan.  Keep in mind that the United States of America did not recognize the Soviet Union after the end of World War I.  That would take place in 1933, eight years after Art Lovers’ magazine called for more cooperation between the artists and scientist of both countries.

The editors wrote, “The lack of continuous contact between artists, scientists and cultural organizations of the United States and the Union of Soviet Republic has been felt for many years in both countries. Since the war there has been practically no mutual exchange of art or scientific publications – with the result that the institutions and organizations concerned were unable to form any comprehensive idea of the mutual activities and achievements.”

In fact, the editors stopped short of praising a new organization that was established in the Soviet Union by the name of the Joint Information Bureau, “which has been created in Moscow with the aim of assisting in the establishment of closer cultural connections between the Union of Soviet Republics and other countries.”

Russian and Japanese Authors

The efforts of Art Lovers’ magazine did not stop at trying to establish a relationship with the Soviet Union, but it was extended to publish J. Tugendhold, “the greatest art authority in Russia” who wrote in issue 6 “on the folk art of his native land.”

The magazine also announced that in the following issue, issue 7, an article “on Japanese art, from the pen of Shinsei Hiroshige, who needs no introduction to readers familiar with the “Cherry Blossom Land.”

Art Lovers’ magazine once more shows that it is unlike any other magazine on the marketplace.

Singing its own praises

The editors of the magazine were not shy in promoting the praises and accolades they were receiving from readers, especially with the cover of issue 5 announcing the growth of its print run to 250,000, a 100,000 increase since issue 3.

They write, “CONGRATULATIONS have been reaching our desks by the scores, enthusiastic comments on the continued improvement in the editorial and pictorial departments of this magazine. It is no wonder that the circulation has mounted to a quarter of a million copies monthly.”

Elbert Hubbard II appears on the scene

It must have been a Hubbard family affair with Arts Lovers’ magazine.  Elbert Hubbard II was running Roycroft after his father’s death in 1915, and publishing his own magazine, The Roycrofter.  He announced himself President of the Roycrofters in the last issue of The Philistine that carried the cover line in red “VALEDICTORY” which of course means farewell.

Under a picture of himself, with the caption, “ELBERT HUBBARD II, President THE ROYCROFTERE, IN.”  Under the caption he wrote, ““Bert” Hubbard has served in the Roycroft Shops for twenty years; grew up with the Business. He has worked and won promotion in every Department. He knows this Business, its friends, its markets, its possibilities. For eight years he has been Treasurer of this Corporation and handled the “Practical Business” end.”  He concludes, “Now he is Chief of The Roycrofters.”

 He made another announcement in that same issue.  He informed the subscribers that the magazine will cease publication as of this issue dated July 1915 and starting next month, they will receive its sister publication The FRA.  This issue also carried the news that” Elbert and Alice Hubbard Are Dead.”

The older Hubbard, the founder of the Roycrofters has been publishing The Philistine for twenty years and two months.   Two years later, in August of 1917, Elbert Hubbard II announced the closer of The FRA the other magazine his dad was publishing and launched his own magazine The Roycrofter from September 1917 until September 1932. The Roycroft Campus declared bankruptcy and closed in 1938 ending an era filled with arts, crafts, and beauty.

The dilemma of publishing a magazine

With all his activities, Elbert Hubbard II, as it seems, was also involved with Art Lovers’ magazine.  An editorial signed by him in issue 5 of the magazine, he wrote, in the plural tense as if he is part of the team producing the magazine, on the dilemma of publishing a magazine. His editorial, “GETTING out this magazine is no picnic. If we print jokes, folks say we are silly; if we don’t, they say we are too serious; if we print original matter, they say we lack variety; if we publish things from other papers, we are too lazy to write.

Elbert Hubbard II continues in his one paragraph editorial, “If we stay on the job, we ought to be out getting a new viewpoint. If we go out after stuff, we are not attending to business in our own department. If we don’t print all our contributors send us, we don’t show proper appreciation. If we do print them the magazine is a mass of junk. And, like as not, some wise guy will say we swiped this from an exchange, which we did. – Elbert Hubbard II.”

A family affair: more Hubbards

Another Hubbard appears on the scene in issue 6 of the magazine: Samuel Hubbard, curator of archeology of the Oakland, CA Museum. The editors were as excited as Mr. Hubbard himself by writing that his discovery, “sent a thrill through the scientific world recently by citing new evidence which, in his opinion, proves the existence of primitive artists in the dinosaur age.”

Samuel Hubbard led The Doheny Scientific Expedition into the Hava Supai Canyon in North Arizona where he made his discovery.  He concluded that “some prehistoric man made a pictograph of a dinosaur on the walls of this canyon.”  This prehistoric man, Mr. Hubbard smized, “made and used tools and had an eye for form and a sense of proportion.”

Mr. Hubbard concludes, “The interesting thing about this is that no ibex, not even fossil ones, have ever been found in America.  These drawings would seem to indicate that they must have been a common animal in the Grand Canyon in the prehistoric past.”

Art Lovers’ devoted almost 2/3 of its editorial page to report on and quote the discoveries of Samuel Hubbard.  Another important indication that the magazine was more interested in the culture, science, and art of that period and not just in publishing nude pictures and illustrations for the benefit of art students and artists.

A who’s who of authors

The magazine took pride in the list of authors and artists appearing on its pages. The cover of issue 6 carried the names of Upton Sinclair and Robert W. Chambers in big type.  Mr. Sinclair wrote an article on “Who Pays for Art,” and Mr. Chambers wrote about the “Cotton Murals.” In addition, the editor himself published a signed article on the “Laws of Esthetics.”

Upton Sinclair was a famous journalist, author, and political activist.  Adjectives that are all in line with the mission of Art Lovers’ magazine.  Mr. Sinclair went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1943.  (find sources)

As for Robert W. Chambers, another famous artist and fiction writer whose book The King in Yellow published inn 1895 brought him national attention.

In addition to the authors, the table of contents of the magazine included many names with Dr. and Professor titles highlighting the importance and value of the content and differentiating it one more time from the rest of the magazines on the nation’s newsstands. Also, in issue 6 the editors highlighted what more to come in the next issue of Art Lovers’. “THE RAJAH’S VENGEANCE,” a new and thrilling serial story, will be started in the July issue of ART LOVERS’ MAGAZINE. Romance, splendor and fatalism! Don’t miss it. The author is Marie Garcia, one of whose short stories, “Venus of the Dance Floor,” appeared in our May number.”

Another writer is highlighted in this editorial, Dr. Millicent G. Laevey. She is going to write an article, “on how to stay cool in torrid weather, written in the entertaining style for which she is famous.”

Beauty, Art, Fiction and Life

True to its tag line Art Lovers’ in its second quarter was able to combine beauty, art, fiction and life is a package that made the magazine reach a quarter of a million circulation and made the magazine the “largest rotogravure magazine in the world.”

As Art Lovers’ enters its third quarter, progress continues, and more top-notch authors and artists appear on its pages.

To read Chapters 1 and 2 from Nude vs. Lewd please check the previous blogs below or search from them using the search box on the side.