This magazine spread, likely from the early to mid-40s, contributes to graphic design history by being a piece from the development of mass-produced works, such as magazines. Family Circle appears to have been published on Fridays in the early 1940s, and with this issue date of “July 17”, a Friday, July 17, falls in 1942.
This article informs readers about pigeons’ abilities because of the role they played in the previous and then-current world war, their racing abilities, and other facts. Pigeons have high intelligence and the ability to return to their homes, which allowed them to help transport messages back and forth during the World Wars and be used in pigeon racing competitions. Family Circle’s first issue was released in 1932, and its last magazine was published in 2019. This spread is in black and white, as many magazines by The Family Circle published in the 1940s appear to use color sparingly, being used for the cover and a few accented illustrations inside. However, later in the 1950s, Family Circle appears to begin further incorporating color throughout the magazine. The Family Circle magazine often wrote about topics to do with parenting, homemaking, food, and current events to help typical people.
As a periodical, it could likely be considered to be a part of the Print Culture movement. During this time, other printed media, such as comic books, became popular during the 1940s. Family Circle was a store-distributed magazine at first. This distribution idea first gained traction in the 1930s. Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, Sanitary, and Reeves, distributed it until 1946 when it was then sold as a monthly family magazine. Notably, women’s magazines were popular during this time, especially with the implementation of advertising in periodicals. Overdone advertising and subject material were issues of the time that caused lower numbers of issue sales. Nonetheless, this periodical was known to sell large quantities. It often included celebrities as authors or cover subjects to further appeal to readers. The photo of this spread was taken at The American Pigeon Museum & Library, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
