100 years ago, women were thrilled by Redbook magazine's romantic stories about dark and mysterious men, exotic perils from the orient, women in danger, sublimated passions and heaving bosoms. The stories were illustrated by marvelous pictures like these.
Often the heroine watched as powerful men struggled over her virtue, or were reduced to helpless tears by their love for her.
The pictures, like the stories, were often shrouded in fog which left room for the reader's imagination to fill in the details. I love these art noir drawings by Gayle Hoskins, Frank Street, E. Ward and Leone Bracker.
Today, Redbook has replaced illustrations with bright, clear photographs. The articles are in sharper focus as well. There's no ambiguity in titles like 35 Sexy Places to Touch Your Man, or Get In The Mood in 5 Minutes. Recently, Redbook provided instructions for sex in an airplane bathroom the way GM might describe maintenance on an internal combustion engine ("For maximum maneuverability, stand with one leg on the toilet with your man embracing you from behind.") Despite the new candor, Redbook's modern readers don't seem any closer to meaningful truths than their great grandmothers were 100 years ago.
I'm not sure whether it's better to have a sharp picture of a fuzzy concept or a fuzzy picture of a sharp concept. Choose your fog.
"choose your fog" .... great line
ReplyDeletebut........
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REDBOOK????!!!?!
Beautiful!! i totally thought they are from Sherlock Holmes books!!! ^0^
ReplyDeletethank you! Great find!
Aw, com'mon lotusgreen. The pics are fab, the text clever and a little saucy. (I loved the "for maximum maneuverability..." Did you lift the text David, or make it up?) A little irony makes it even better. It's just too delightful!
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the second picture. The woman's coat lifting in the wind mirrors the gargoyle like creature behind them. Interesting topic and approach David!
pcp
Lotusgreen, Redbook has had many different incarnations over the past century as the taste of the American housewife has changed.
ReplyDeleteAmerican men rely on Redbook at the supermarket checkout counter to help them understand the mysteries of women (kind of like women rely on Letters to Penthouse to understand men). If you are now telling me that Redbook is an unreliable guide, I don't know where we would turn next.
Anonymous, I am not making up any of these quotes. Flipping through a recent issue of Redbook, I was struck by another great line: "a woman can conquer any man if she can conquer her gag reflex." Redbook readers from 100 years ago would have been horrified, but at least they would have been literate enough to catch the (unintended) double entendre.
ReplyDeletesee--the last time i picked up redbook, the only tip it might give a man would be how to turn on the oven if the little lady was having her hair done just before dinner.
ReplyDeleteOMG, David!! Did Redbook really say that? I 'bout fell off my chair laughing! (Ahh, yeah, just relax honey, it'll be all right.)
ReplyDeleteCool Illustrations!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!:o)
ReplyDeleteThose old illustrations are astonishing!! They remind me of the artist who did the kingdom come series for DC comics.
ReplyDeleteit's really cool!
ReplyDeleteMakes me think of some Joseph clement Coll pen and ink illustrations!
jordan
Is there a site or book where I can find more of these images?
ReplyDeleteWe have some similar foggy scenes on the walls at the Palette and Chisel (done by early members, c. 1900)
ReplyDeleteThey're fun -- but I'd just as soon be looking at stills from a good film noir of the 30's or 40's.