1945 Magazine Catalog

A souvenir of the era when department stores sold everything, including books and magazines.

This catalog for 1945 subscriptions would have been published in 1944. The emphasis is on red-white-and-blue, and the continued state of war.

Uncle Sam and "Mrs. Uncle Sam" stand beneath a rendering of the cast-iron entrance to Louis Sullivan's Carson Pirie Scott building.

The story of Mrs. Uncle Sam is on the inside cover.

... She was only a baby when her folks build their first rude log cabin at Jamestown. She was in pigtails when Uncle Sam first began to notice her—that cruel winter at Plymouth. He was ready to pop the question the night Cousin Paul Revere rode so furiously down the road to Lexington...

It continues in this vein, from the couple marrying after Yorktown; "a framed copy of the Bill of Rights...the first picture hung on their walls."

There's the crossing the plains and heading off Indians; then on to the 1860s, when Mrs. Sam went "on the battlefield to nurse [Uncle Sam], and his wounded brothers of the South." Next,

She bought Liberty Bonds with their savings during the first World War. She managed wonderfully all through the depression.
Today, she stands in the front line with Uncle Sam—to defend what they built togehter. She knows he needs her now, as never, never before.
...
And Mrs. Uncle Sam faces this resolutely, serenely and free!

We salute you homemakers—mothers and women of America—for you are Mrs. Uncle Sam.

One magazine on offer:


The war would actually end in the summer of 1945, and Time was already pitching post-war life


War or peace, Time was willing as ever to take "news-words," and "boil them down and point them up and connect them together for you..."

Then, as now, considerately sparing readers the work of thinking for themselves.

Tiger of the Month Club: May

This month, our models pose in the lush spring greenery.

Our calendar artist's efforts merit an even closer look at this landscape.

Note, in particular, the left edge of that log—

Frate Indovino: May Magus

This month's cartoon:

The politicians of one side cry out for "Justice! Honesty! Transparency!"
The side in power hears not a sound...
Change sides; repeat process.

With the observation, "None so deaf as who doesn't want to hear," commentary and aphorisms about politics follow.

Two persons "of undoubted competence" are quoted:

"Politicians are the same everywhere: they promise to build bridges even where there are no rivers." - Chruščëv

"In politics always follow the right path, because you are sure to never meet anyone." - Bismarck

This month's astronomical curiosity is another constellation promoted by Lalande, the cat constellation guy.

This time around, Lalande proposed a constellation named after the Montgolfier brothers. The balloon-shaped constellation was to be south of Aquarius and Capricorn. Interestingly, the Italian term for "hot-air balloon" is "montgolfiera."

This is followed by—Capuchin vaudeville turns?

Well, one liners, anyway:

- "The Italian Republic is founded on work..."
- "Whose?"

Another item is headed, "Strizzatina d'occhio!" ["Wink!"]

Yes, humor is hard to translate, and this is based on preposition use that doesn't work in English. Even so, some jokes never retire:

- "Excuse me, Stationmaster, is there a Marsala train?"
- "No, the trains nowadays are electric or diesel."

Masterpieces

Spotted on a trip to Big Lots: made-in-China emery boards, decorated with images from famous paintings.

Why were these graphics chosen? The images would have been easy to come by, for one thing. While I wouldn't expect the manufacturer to have given it thought, it could be that the images are in the public domain—or they might seem to be, due to being famous.

A pretty Renoir woman and a couple of other designs fit the "beauty product" category well enough.

There was also the Demoiselles D'Avignon model.

Sister J. bought two designs, which I got to scan later.


I know some women react dramatically to nail breakage, but—
really, now:


These products make the case for never leaving home without a camera.

Especially since one of the designs that got away was this Van Gogh.

Tiger Of The Month Club: April

This handsome duo get into the spirit of the spring pagan rites—
with a basket full of pysanky!

Frate Indovino: April Astrologer

"Publicity," says our cartoonist, "costs us dearly!"

The theme continues with the opposing quotes connundrum: is publicity/advertising "the soul of commerce" [H. Ford], or, "commerce of the soul" [M. Marchesi]?

Though I suspect the possibility of some false cognates, Google Translate wants to tell me that a look at the skies deems this month favorable for all human activities that are intellectual and sensitive...

Even without the reminder of being innundated by "publicity," I don't expect the planets to win out on this.

Among Frate Indovino's earthly advice is a monthly section for Donne, beginning with some cliché under the heading, "It is Said Of Women"...

This month:

Nelle donne s'ammira la virtú – ma la civetteria piace di piú!

This seems to be, "Women admire virtue but love coquettery the most"...

Followed by what thought were chocolate recipes—those would occupy the coquettish women productively.

Then I ran the text through the translator: the section is several paragraphs of instructions for removing chocolate stains, fresh or old, from all kinds of fabrics.

Which must be the almanac's secret to a happy home: Mamma feeds everyone chocolate and keeps busy cleaning up after them...

Entertaining Easily - Economically

Pet Milk Company, St. Louis, Mo., 1941

The sponsor also brought radio listeners Saturday nights with Jessica Dragonette [they don't make minor celebrity names like they used to!]


The recipes are introduced by Mary Lee Taylor, hostess of Pet's "Radio Demonstrations of better food made at lower cost"—


The text is quite earnest, beginning, "You may be feeling that the word 'party' doesn't fit at all into your world as you find it today." This was published sometime in 1941—I'm assuming it was before Pearl Harbor, and that the remark refers mainly to the Depression.

The introduction continues for a full page, even including words of more than one syllable. It's always impressive—and more than a little depressing—to see how advertisers of the past expected the public to be literate. On the other hand, this is all in the service of claiming the housewife's cooking will be "extra wholesome" as well as thrifty, when she uses "Irradiated Pet Milk which costs less generally than ordinary milk."

The manufacturer's "scientific" pitch goes on to tout the product, "sterilized in sealed cans...as safe as if there were no disease germs in the world. Pet Milk is irradiated, enriched with extra 'sunshine' vitamin D..."

The appeal of the recipes is about as credible as that pitch. They are good old American stodgy: vegetables are rarely mentioned, with occasional exceptions for celery, parsley, or canned mushrooms.

A few recipes are illustrated with unfortunate period color photography—



Even more unfortunate is the small nod to exotic dishes: "[American] Cheese Fondue," and, "Pet Chop Suey." Although the last is frightening—the actual recipe, that is; forget the double entendre—the canned bean sprouts, celery and onions in the ingredients include more vegetables than most other recipes here. But, who needs vegetables, when you can have healthful Irridiated Pet Milk added to absolutely everything?

The recipes and nutritional pitch may seem completely dated. Yet Pet Fudge still makes its appearance at office pot lucks and family holiday dinners throughout the nation.