Art Magazines

Item 61.
Art in Australia. (Sydney, N.S.W. : Sydney Ure Smith, B. Stevens and C.L. Jones, 1916-1942)

The main inspiration behind Art in Australia was Sydney Ure Smith, a notable artist in his own right. The magazine was a beautiful production with many tipped-in colour illustrations. It promoted many local artists such as Thea Proctor and Margaret Preston. It was an influential publication not only in the arts but also in contemporary style, for example in ornamentation and interior design.

Go Back

Women's Magazines

Item 62.
The New idea : a women's home journal for Australasia. (Melbourne : T.S. Fitchett, 1902-1911)

This was continued by Everylady's journal, and in 1928 the title reverted to New Idea, under which title it still appears.

The original magazine was much more political than it later became, even featuring an article on "The advance of women", by Vida Goldstein. Women's magazines in the early twentieth-century tended to carry much material on issues such as female suffrage and women's rights.

Go Back

Item 64
The Australian woman's mirror. (Sydney : The Bulletin Newspaper, 1924-1961)

Go Back

Item 65.
The Australian women's weekly, (Sydney : (Australian Consolidated Press, 1933- ) 

Go Back

Classic Magazines

Item 69.
Playboy : entertainment for men. (Chicago, Playboy, 1953-)

Playboy is the classic "Men's" magazine. It began publication in December 1953 and is still appearing. Its files are important for the insight they provide on contemporary society standards in sexual matters. Among copies on display we find the issue for April 1971 which included a panel discussion on homosexuality. The issue for October 1971 featured the first black "playmate". The third issue on display, that for September 1970, was a special on campus life and featured a typical student of the period on the cover; it includes an interview with Peter Fonda, the star of the cult movie, Easy Rider. Others to be interviewed by Playboy included John Lennon, and Germaine Greer.

Go Back

Go Back

Pulp Magazines

We have a collection of these from the period between the wars. Our holdings are strongest in the field of "Science-Fiction" and we held an exhibition of them in 1999-2000, which can still be seen on our home page.

Westerns, horror and detective titles also appeared as "pulp" magazines. A selection of these are on display.

70. American detective magazine. (Sydney : Jatkins Publishing, [194-? – 195-?])

71. Invincible detective magazine. (Sydney : Invincible Press, 1949-[195-?])

These are examples of Australian pulp magazines. Their content tended to be syndicated American stories. They are typical of the late 1940s , early 1950s.

Go Back

Popular Magazines

Item 72.
Man : the Australian magazine for men. (Sydney, N.S.W. : Kenneth G. Murray, 1936-1974)

Man was based to some degree on the American magazine, Esquire. It lacked the element of serious fiction which always redeemed its US counterpart, and relied more on risqué cartoons. There was some attempt to cover serious issues. In March 1938 they carried a two-page photo-spread on the Aboriginal Day of Mourning held on 26 January 1938, while the rest of Australia was celebrating the 150^th anniversary of the first settlement. The accompanying article is headed, "Aborigines meet, mourn while white-man nation celebrates". It begins,

The following pictures, the press was told, "Could not be got." White-man photographers and reporters were politely refused admission to the meeting. MAN only, made the meeting, got pictures. Man, (March 1938), p. 84.

Go Back

Item 76. 
Oz. (Sydney, N.S.W. : Oz Publications Ink Ltd., 1963-1969)

Oz magazine. (Sydney : OZ Publications Ink Pty. Ltd., [1969]-1970)

(London, H. Bunch Associates 1967-1973) no.[1]-48; Feb. 1967-winter 1973.

Oz was a satirical magazine begun by Richard Neville and Richard Walsh. Martin Sharp did many of the graphics. The first issue appeared on April Fool's Day 1963. Issue no. 6 (Feb. 1964) fell foul of the censors and Neville, Walsh and Sharp were found guilty under the Obscene and Indecent Publications Act. They were sentenced to jail terms with hard labour, a decision quashed on appeal.

Neville and Sharp left for England where they established the London Oz, a much better-produced and altogether more colourful publication, but this also had its problems with the authorities.

Go Back

Fashion Magazines

Item 77.
Tank. (London : Tank Publications, 1998- )

This is offered as an example of the latest in fashion magazines. There are many similar titles on the newsstands now, Purple, and Spoon are others.

They specialize in photographs of models posing provocatively. Such magazines are designed to appeal to the coolest modern readership. They convey a sense of contemporary style, and feature work by the most up-to-date designers and fashion photographers.

Go Back

'Zines

The term "'zines" to refer to small, privately produced magazines, or "fanzines" began to appear in the early 1990s. With the growth of computer technology most people have access to the means of producing their own publications. 'Zines are usually a mixture of poetry, short stories, articles, and graphics, often written by one person or by a group of people, but the lack of any need for commercial viability allows people to indulge themselves in ways that may not be possible through more mainstream magazines.

78. Purple monkey dishwasher. (Modbury North, S.A. : Purple Monkey Dishwasher, 1996-1999?)

Go Back

80. Biblio eroticus. (Moe, Vic. : Leah Bryan, 1999-2001?)

Go Back

83. Citric tangent. ([Melbourne] : MacRobertson Girls' High School Student Writers' Group, 1999- )

Go Back