Old Magazine Scans

1920s Christmas gift buying tips and fashions

Here’s a 1920s article on gifts to give at Christmas. Because it’s from a fashion magazine, ofcourse the gifts are all wearable. Flapper hats and purses and accessories. A friend of mine scanned these pages from his personal collection, or had them scanned, and then died. I’m sorry.

History of Women’s Swimwear and Sports Fashions

This article claims that Annette Kellerman was groundbreaking in making more practical swimwear acceptable… and did you know that shorts for women were invented in the 1930s?

A brief history of women in sports, part II

The article covers women’s baseball with interesting pictures showing women’s baseball teams from World War I and the 1950s (including pictures of Ruth Engle and Doris Sams), and also pictures of figure skaters and golfers to contrast fashion trends of the first part of the 20th century.

Lyrics to 1930s songs pt 2

This page features a sexy photo of contralto singer and 1930s San Francisco radio personality Nola Day, a native of Iceland.
According to The Magic Key of RCA Radio Program: “NOLA DAY, NBC contralto, who has appeared as a Magic Key guest, is a native of Iceland but was brought to the United States when she was a baby. She grew up in Tacoma. When she was still in her teens she joined a touring organization that gave entertainments in the logging camps in the Northwest. At the end of a two-years’ tour Nola went to Portland, Oregon, and after a year’s vocal training she was selected as a soloist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Later she went to Seattle where she sang in “The Vagabond King,” and later proved her vocal versatility by singing with a dance orchestra. When KOMO, Seattle, put on its first transcontinental over NBC, Nola took part. This was her radio debut. She later became a member of the NSC staff in San Francisco. At present she is with NBC in New York.”

Enjoy the song lyrics on this page below. I’ve tried to find audio/video to go with each song, but without much success.

Lyrics to 1930s songs pt 1

I wish that I could find more audio recordings to go with these 1930s song lyrics, but no luck 🙁 This page of lyrics, in particular, I wonder how the music to them went. How quickly culture is lost!

History of Beauty Contests and the Ideal Female Measurements of the 1950s

History of Beauty Contests and the Ideal Female Measurements of the 1950s

This entry is part 11 of 32 in the series CheeseCake Pinup Magazine - 1953

Discover the ideal female measurements of the 1950s, a decade that set distinct beauty standards through beauty contests and societal expectations. This article delves into the historical context and cultural significance of the 1950s beauty ideals, offering insights into how these standards influenced fashion and shaped the perception of female beauty during the era.

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The future of the pinup model

The future of the pinup model

This entry is part 9 of 32 in the series CheeseCake Pinup Magazine - 1953

Where was modeling going in the 1950s, and what would future fashion trends hold? The main point of this article seemed to point out the sheer diversity of pinup models and beautiful women. An interesting picture was one of Rita Hayworth without makeup, and then made up. One of her movies, “An Affair in Trinidad”, was chosen by the National Photographers Association as “the sexiest and most provocative motion picture still ever made”.

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Lucille Ball and Marie Wilson were Successful Pinups on TV

Lucille Ball and Marie Wilson were Successful Pinups on TV

This entry is part 5 of 32 in the series CheeseCake Pinup Magazine - 1953

This next article includes plenty of scantily clad pictures of Lucille Ball and Marie Wilson (as Irma, the dumbest blonde on TV). Irma in the “My Friend Irma” show, especially, is mentioned as stretching television’s strict Code with risque outfits and comedic innuendos. Lucille Ball is mentioned as being the pretty woman with brains and wit behind the top ten rated show “I Love Lucy”.

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Lyrics to 1930s songs pt 2

Lyrics to 1930s songs pt 2

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Popular Songs Magazine: October 1935

This page features a sexy photo of contralto singer and 1930s San Francisco radio personality Nola Day, a native of Iceland.
According to The Magic Key of RCA Radio Program: “NOLA DAY, NBC contralto, who has appeared as a Magic Key guest, is a native of Iceland but was brought to the United States when she was a baby. She grew up in Tacoma. When she was still in her teens she joined a touring organization that gave entertainments in the logging camps in the Northwest. At the end of a two-years’ tour Nola went to Portland, Oregon, and after a year’s vocal training she was selected as a soloist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Later she went to Seattle where she sang in “The Vagabond King,” and later proved her vocal versatility by singing with a dance orchestra. When KOMO, Seattle, put on its first transcontinental over NBC, Nola took part. This was her radio debut. She later became a member of the NSC staff in San Francisco. At present she is with NBC in New York.”

Enjoy the song lyrics on this page below. I’ve tried to find audio/video to go with each song, but without much success.

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Popular Songs Magazine: October 1935

Popular Songs Magazine: October 1935

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Popular Songs Magazine: October 1935

Ginger Rogers graced the front cover of the October 1935 edition of Popular Songs Magazine. It advertised the lyrics to over 30 popular songs of the mid-1930s!

On the inner cover was a full page illustrated advertisement for diamond engagement rings, wedding rings, watches, and other jewelry for men and women wanting great values by Royal Diamond and Watch of 170 Broadway, NYC. You could could get a diamond engagement and wedding ring set for only $29.75 (approximately $525.12 in 2016 dollars).

The Perfolastic shapewear had a money back guarantee if it did not reduce your waist and hips by 3 inches, and an offer to send a free sample of the perforated elastic material that the girdles were made from. This illustrates the ideal 1930s silhouette of narrow waist and hips, with a small to medium bust.

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Pinups on billboards, book covers, and record covers.

Pinups on billboards, book covers, and record covers.

This entry is part 18 of 32 in the series CheeseCake Pinup Magazine - 1953

Here’s an interesting history of pinups in advertising! Showing pictures of billboards from the 1800s-1950s, with a focus on pretty girls in beer advertisements.

The next page shows samples of pretty women used to advertise books and, the latest thing, record album covers. Even classical music “moves off the shelves” faster when an attractive woman is pictured on it!

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Pretty Girls Sold Tobacco – tobacco advertisements used pinups

Pretty Girls Sold Tobacco – tobacco advertisements used pinups

This entry is part 16 of 32 in the series CheeseCake Pinup Magazine - 1953

Here is an interesting history of tobacco advertisements using pretty women and pinups as bait, and to gain broader social acceptance of smoking cigarettes! To explain changes in tobacco advertising, you have to take a historical perspective, which this article explains best. Briefly the history of tobacco ads (according to this 1953 article):

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History of Lingerie advertisements from the 1800s to the 1950s

History of Lingerie advertisements from the 1800s to the 1950s

This entry is part 19 of 32 in the series CheeseCake Pinup Magazine - 1953

Here are shown some lingerie and shapewear ads from the 1800s-1950s. The chemise replaced the corset cover by 1918, although shape wear was still worn in the 1920s to achieve that stylish “boyish” form. The inflatable bra of the 1950s replaced the “Victoria” bosom pad of 1879… such changes in lingerie styles and advertisements!

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