Fun fact! Better Homes & Gardens has an online archive of ALL their past magazine issues and it’s ALL FREE to read (just supply an email). Oh boy did I ever go down a vintage magazine rabbit hole for this post. In fact I had such a hard time deciding on what to do with this new found archive, that I kind of froze and just stared at my computer. SO…I defaulted to what I like to post about….vintage magazine covers.
Let’s begin!
Oh! and after you done here please check out an archived BH&G magazine post from a copy I have in my collection… Vintage Advertising from a May 1939 Better Homes & Gardens Vintage Magazine
Better Homes & Garden Vintage Magazine Covers: 1920s – 1960s
The 1920’s Magazine Covers
Better Homes & Gardens launched in 1922 as ‘Fruit Garden and Home‘. The magazine offered informative articles, cooking techniques, and contests.
July 1922. The first magazine for this company. Love the art nouveau design on the cover.
Articles inside include: “A little garden in the city”; “What $50 will do in the backyard”; “Summer dress for all-year round furniture”; “Flowers that will bloom on hats and gowns”.
October 1923, “Fruit Garden & Home” cover featuring an illustration of a tudor style home.
Articles inside include: “The planning & decoration of bedrooms”; “Origins of the Morris chair”; “Bulbs for windows or gardens”; “An adventure in home building”.
In 1924 (August), the name changed to Better Homes & Gardens, and it was considered one of the “Seven Sisters” women’s service magazines (Source).
Fun Fact! The Seven Sister’s Women’s Service Magazines were:
- Better Homes and Gardens (1922-)
- Family Circle (1932-2019)
- Good Housekeeping (1885-)
- Ladies’ Home Journal (1873-2016)
- McCall’s (1873-2002)
- Redbook (1903-2019)
- Woman’s Day (1937-)
The Seven Sisters is a group of magazines that has traditionally been aimed at married women who are homemakers with husbands and children, rather than single and working women. The name is derived from the Greek myth of the “seven sisters”, also known as the Pleiades (Source).
Articles inside include: “Building a Cottage That Was “Different”; “Lawn enemies in the Summer”; “The home’s crowning glory”; “Landscape planning service”.
The 1930’s Magazine Covers
November 1930 featuring the cutest sunny 1930s kitchen design. I love the cupboard with the fold down table. Perfect for small spaces (like my home).
Articles inside include: “The Kitchen Has Had Its Face Lifted!”; “Gardening on a shoestring”; “A house that grew in California”; “Color schemes for your Kitchen”.
March 1933 cover featuring a women in 1930s winter fashions planting / planning her flower garden for spring. Her beloved Scottie Dog is watching her closely.
Articles inside include: “We show you some new wall-coverings”; “The vegetable garden can be beautiful”; “Early flowers this way”.
Further Reading: Everyone Loves a Scottie Dog, Especially the Vintage Community!
August 1934 cover features a pair of angel fish hanging out with other fishes.
Inside the issue was an article on the 1934 “Century of Progress” Chicago World’s Fair. I did an post on this topic which you can enjoy by clicking on the above link.
April 1936 featuring a 1930s couple admirding a model of their home they could build.
“Inside – How to Build, Garden, and Decorate It”.
I love this cover from September 1938, as I am a balcony gardener and very proud of my space (scroll to the end to see an image of my balcony). Now I don’t look as cute as our cover model with her big wide brimmed hat, but my flowers do!
Articles inside include: “Three homes in white”; “Let go..and sleep”; “A better home at sea”; “How to plan next Spring’s bulb garden now”.
The 1940’s Magazine Covers
“Gardening Guide” June 1940 features a woman in her gardening overalls consulting the guide on where to put her flowers in her garden. Hope she figured it out!
Articles inside include: “MORE dollars & sense in home planning”; “June indoor (& outdoor) gardening guide”; “For the bride”.
October 1940 features a stylish woman in 1940s fashion (what a stunning hat and two piece suit!) holding fabrics for her home redesign.
Articles Inside: “Fall Furnishings – Rooms Transformed and Pictured in COLOR”
The United States did not enter WW2 until December 1941. I was very interested in seeing when the articles in this magazine went from “change your wallpaper each season” to “wartime tips for your home”. I previewed each month from January 1942 on and this is when I saw the change….
February 1942. No articles on anything to do with war but just a letter from the editor on Pearl Harbour.
June 1943 of Better Homes & Gardens had the “most” articles on Wartime topics then any of the months before it (after June there would be more and more).
Wartime Articles featured:
- Building Tomorrow on the Home Front (article on encourgement of the youth who are at home)
- If You’re Needed in a War Plant, Mother . . .Excerpt from the statement of policy of the War Manpower Commission
- Yankee Kitchens GO ON THE Production Line (article about women who cannot work IN a factory but picking up war work in their home so that they can still do their part)
- Mother Eisenhower TALKS ABOUT Her Most Famous Son
- Salting – ANOTHER way to keep part of that victory garden until next winter is to salt it down.
- Live Outdoors This Summer (article on how to enjoy your backyard when you can’t travel)
On a side note, I ADORE the backyard patio furniture on the cover. That fridged umbrella and the matching chair our lady is enjoying a book in, is fantastic!
We will now skip ahead to the end of the war and the end of the decade with this December 1949 Christmas themed cover. “Christmas is celebrated all over the country, in whatever house you own”
Articles inside include: “Decorate with Christmas Cards”; “Decorate your table for Christmas”; “How to make foil trees”; “Treat yourself to a midwinter garden”
The 1950’s Magazine Covers
June always seems to have good covers as seen in this June 1950 cover. I love the shift to Mid-Century design happening here with the clean lines and that fireplace (must be cold in June wherever this is).
Articles inside include: “Old fashioned charm in modern kitchens”; “How to beat the heat”; “Get double value from your flowers”; “Cool Summer Living”.
Here in Canada, many retired adults making the trip to Florida to avoid the cold winters we experience in most of my country. They are called ‘snowbirds’ and they love the state of Florida. I envision that some of them still live in cute Mid-Century homes like the one pictured below in this February 1952 magazine.
Articles inside include: “How much does college really cost?”; “Your house can grow with your family”; “Summer furniture you can make”; “There’s living space in your garage”.
June 1955 – The Big Barbecue Better Homes & Gardens Roundup.
Sample of what is inside (future blog post coming on this issue):
- WHAT’S NEW in home furnishings
- How to talk to the person you married
- Detroit looks ahead
- Growing plants in boxes
- News in dishes: NEUTRALS
- A cruise on the Great Lakes and so much more!
April 1957 is showcasing a pretty impressive late 1950s kitchen and dining design. I love the indoor outdoor look.
Articles inside include: “Three simple steps to remodeled storage”; “Decorative ways to blend TV into a room”; “It’s rhubarb time!”; “How to drive safely at night”.
The 1960’s Magazine Cover
The homes in this May 1960’s edition of Better Homes & Gardens are pretty impressive inside this magazine. I recommend taking the time to check it out (If you like Mid Century Design).
There is a also a recipe for “cheesecake pie” if you like to bake.
November 1963: “Party Ideas & Foods – A Big Special Section! Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes….And more!”
I suddenly have a craving for pancakes or waffles with strawberries and whip cream! Maybe it’s this delish looking January 1966 cover that is doing it? (I think it is!)
Articles inside include: “Our best new recipes for small appliances”; “Furniture refinishing”; “Five European vacations that include time to relax”.
Our last magazine cover is from March 1966 and features a groovy orange fridge and a space age dining table. Fun (if you like orange)!
Articles inside include: “10 showcase kitchens”; “Show-off desserts”; “Crafty craft ideas”
I hope you enjoyed this post, it was quite an endeavour to put together because I wanted to share almost EVERY cover with you. I guess I will just have to do another post (or two). Please share in the comments section below, what your favourite was above or anything else you wish to chat about on this magazine.
Vintage Inn NEWS!
My blog ‘The Vintage Inn Blog’ is STILL on Feedspots “Best Nostalgia Blogs” on the web! I am #12 out of 25. I am also still on their list for “Best Vintage Blog” several years running (#19 out of 80).
What I love about this list is that they use stats to make their decisions…
“The list is curated from thousands of blogs on the web and ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness.”
As a marketing professional, I really appreciate this. Thank you to my readers for making this happen!
Thanks for dropping by! Oh and here is my balcony garden!
Further Reading:
- Vintage Magazines & Catalogs 1920s – 1960s (Archived blog posts)
- Vintage Magazine Covers by Month
Liz
