MagazineArt.org is a trove of magazine covers and advertising illustration from the decades around the turn of the 20th Century.
Though a number of names of illustrators from that era have become familiar, many many more are still obscure, rarely featured or highlighted. The illustrations in the MagazineArt.org archives are heavy on the latter, light on the former.
If you dig, you can find some gems by artists like Maxfield Parrish (above, second down) Coles Phillips (4th down) and others.
The real draw here, though, is the unknown artists, both good and wonderfully cheesy. There is a search feature, but discoveries are best made by browsing.
You can start off in galleries sorted by topic (note the numbered links at bottom to subsequent pages) and drill down into individual titles.
Don’t be hasty to pass up categories that might not be of interest to you as a reader. Some of the best illustrations are in women’s magazines and weekly titles like Collier’s; some of the most fun are in the science magazines and pulps.
Thanks a whole bunch, Charley! There went the rest of my week…
They just don’t make ’em like that anymore, do they? What a treasure trove you’ve found for us! You really ought to get a public service award (with cash attached, of course)!
Those were the days; Mc.Call’s Magazine 1905 – Fifty Cents a Year.
5 Cents a Copy.
As a small kid I adored Norman Rockwell (Saturday Evening Post).
Please, don’t miss the Rockwell files:
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2007-06-06/news/the-rockwell-files/1/
Charley, thanx for the link. Now, if someone could launch a site featuring large scans of pre-WWII posters, particularly travel posters…
@Valentino: Great idea! Have you thought about doing it…yourself?
That’s what happened to me a few years ago. I asked a similar question, the one about all those magazine covers that nobody ever saw any more, and realized nobody else was going to do it.
It doesn’t even need to cost any money; it will take a little bit of your time, though.
You will definitely be surprised and pleased to find out how many other people will share your interest.
-magscanner
Beautiful illustrations dug up here, feels like I’m back in 1895 again, ah, the good ‘ol days. Especially liked the name drop of Collier 🙂