About »
Archive Listing:
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
February 2007
January 2007
Favorite Blogs / Websites:
|
|
Glimpse of the Past
May 8, 2008
By Angela Harbison, Art Director
 I was pleasantly surprised on a recent day off to stumble across an extensive
exhibition on the illustrator Al Parker. Parker was a prolific
illustrator from the 1940s through the ‘60s, creating art mainly for women’s
magazines. Among other things, the exhibition featured many of the cover
illustrations he did for Ladies Home Journal, and they’re truly an
amazing glimpse of the past. I found the reoccurrence of his mother-daughter
covers particularly interesting. The simple compositions often depicted the
daughter learning something from the mother or helping her in some way.
Everywhere I looked, moms and daughters were happily skating, swimming, making
holiday decorations, or buying war bonds together. I guess there was no such
thing as a generation gap in those days.     
Of course, photography has long
since replaced illustration as the medium of choice for magazine covers—even our
own HOME COMPANION has undergone quite a few changes over the years. But it was
fun to see his work and to be transported back in time for a while. If you’d
like to read more about Al Parker, The Norman Rockwell Museum has published a
book about the exhibition (www.store.nrm.org/).
Websites
www.giam.typepad.com/100_years_of_illustration/al_parker_19061985/ www.illustration-house.com/bios/parker_bio.html
|
Yeah, why HAS photography replaced
illustration on HC? I struggled this issue
to even find Mary's artwork, buried in the
back. I'm all about the ME. The home
design and craft stuff is nice, but I can
find that in other magazines. Don't stray
too far from Mary and her inimitable style!
Additionally, just like Mary's illustrations
of 'how it should be, not how it is', life
was probably not so idealistic back then
either. But those moments when it was are
what we live for.
Posted By: Jen @ Visions & Verses
It would be so cool to start putting Mary's
illustrations on the front covers of the
magazine - perhaps the one that appears in
each edition as a tear out page - for a year
or two or whatever, instead of photos.
Does anyone remember the mother/daughter
dresses , as pictured in some of these
illus.)? I know my mother and I had at least
one, unfortunately , I don't think there are
any photos of us wearing it. Maybe an idea
for one of the nostalgia articles.
Posted By: Carol
I too wish ME's illustrations would come
back, as pretty as this months photo is so
are every other magazines like it. I'm
subscribed for ME stuff not whatever the
home/craft mags have too.
Posted By: Tanya
I agree with JEn ! If you took a poll of your
readers, you would probably find we want the
old covers back. They stood out among the
hundreds of others on the newsstand. we don't
need the tear outs . The covers back then
made the magazines collectible
we do need more mary because the mag is
getting to be like any other.
Posted By: mary fan
|
Technorati
