Monday, January 30, 2012

The Standard 558, May 5, 1900

The Standard 558 (1900-05-05.Standard Press) v21 (some missing and clipped pgs)(D&M)

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Get the full hi-res scan here.

The lower caption: "Raw! Raw! Raw! Roysterers on the Half Shell! Good, whether in season or out of season, for there's always an "R" in girl. Another strong poing in favor of this delicacy is that tobasco sauce and other kinds of dressing are not absolutely necessary. They go just as well without. All in all, the subject certainly furnishes food for serious reflection." Above, the teaser lines read, "Life Behind The Scenes. Reading Sapho. Who'll Undress First - A Bottle of Wine the Stake. See the New Stockings Mamma Bought for Her!"

Oysters! I've never liked them too much myself, but this gentleman is quite ravenous for them. A delightful cover here - it's fun to see such a vintage magazine toying with photography. New printing technologies brought the photo cheaply to the page, and the great appeal of this magazine was no doubt the wall-to-wall photos, a feast for the eyes.

Continuing our look at The Standard, today's quick post is of an issue approximately one month after the post from last week.

The indicia page. Photos of Ada Grey. At the time seeing girls in pants was a rarity, so I would assume these pictures of Ada in shorts and stockings were an eye-opener.


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Nellie Potter, burlesque star, on the adjoining page:

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Looking at Ada and Nellie, we see that the women of the stage in that time might have a far fuller figure than you'd expect from a stage star these days. Shapely is the compliment the editors use applauding the form. A century later, you won't see such natural figures gracing the pages of either the American magazine or the burlesque stage.

From the same page as Nellie, turn of the century schoolgirls. The schoolgirl is ever-appealing to us cretinous males:




A group of Duluth girls lounging about the bed, playing at a game of Hearts. More than a bit of voyeurism at work with the "fly on the wall" setup of many of the magazine's photos.

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And women smoking! These days you might not see such in a magazine for PC reasons but at the time of this magazine the sight of a girl smoking was taboo. One society girl has even sent in a photo of herself having a puff.



A photo for the leg man. "Wage-earners"?! One quickly observes the male fascination with legs in this period. Maybe it is because we were never allowed to see much of them.


Gotta stay fit for the ballet somehow. Or maybe it's just fun to jump over brooms.


Those stagehands tell such dirty stories. A Harlem girl shows of the new stockings Mama bought her. Watch out, mama!


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Big thanks to McCoy for his edit work on the issue!

Next time, a look at The Standard seven years later, after it has merged with Vanity Fair.

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