Magazines have been in existence since 1663, originating from Arabic words meaning "warehouse". Early magazines appealed primarily to intellectual elites but over time expanded their audiences. Production of magazines was difficult in early years due to high printing costs and limited distribution capabilities. Throughout the 19th century, technological advances increased print runs while the introduction of advertising made magazines more financially sustainable. Famous publishers like William Randolph Hearst and Helene Gordon Lazareff launched influential magazines in the 20th century that helped shape culture, though competition remained intense. While digital media now competes with print, magazines continue to influence lives and are not expected to disappear from the market.

1. THE HISTORY OF
MAGAZINES
A S H O R T P R E S E N TAT I O N BY E M I LY W O O L L I N

2. THE ORIGIN OF THE MAGAZINE
The word “Magazine” originates from the Arabic word for “warehouse” and the earliest
examples of magazines date back as far as 1663 in Europe, Germany with a literary and
philosophy magazine but the first general interest magazine was released in London,
1731 and was called “The Gentleman's Interest”. This appealed to a larger audience as
opposed to the German literary magazine which was primarily for an audience of high
intelligence and intellect.
The scots magazine was published in 1739 and is still in print despite the changes in
ownership.

3. DIFFICULTY IN PRODUCTION…
• The success of these magazines was great, meaning they were in high demand, but
printing costs were extremely high and only 100,000 copies could be printed and
distributed at a time as it was near impossible to fit a large amount of paper through
the press and it was equally as difficult to distribute such large quantities.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT…?
• During the mid 19th century readers expanded to not only rich and upper class readers
but to middle class and families to appeal to a wider audience. Prices need to be cut to
magazines which is when the first ads were introduced, not many ads appeared as they
all were burdened by a special tax and even once that tax was removed the amount of
ads did not increase.
• In the late 19th century the number of printed copies dramatically increased with the
invention of the rotary press and with technological progress, increased distribution
and fast selling, magazines became more attractive to advertisers and after the first
advertising company was established in 1890, advertisements began to become a
more common feature.

5. WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
• William Randolph Hearst was the owner of several American newspapers. During the
Cuban war his papers featured gruesome and realistic images of Cuban troops, thus
creating the term “yellow” journalism which refers to the sensationalist depiction of
events.
• After the Cuban war, Hearst decided to widen his empire to include magazines starting
with famous names such as “Good housekeeping” and “National Geographic”
• At the same time, other famous publications started top appear like “Vanity Fair”,
“vogue” and the launch of the “Time” magazine.
• Henry Luce, the founder of time, is still considered to be one of the most influential
publishers to this day

6. HELENE GORDON LAZAREFF
• Helene Lazareff launched “Elle” in 1945 and it quickly became one of the most
influential magazines for women as it was such a huge success, teaching women how
to be attractive and nice.
• Famous figures such as Dior and Brigitte Bardot were featured in the magazine way
before their fame, which some argue helped them climb their way to success. It was
obvious Helene knew a star when she saw one.
• The number of sold copies reached one million in 1960 meaning 1 out of every 6
French women were reading “Elle”

7. HUGE COMPETITION
• Manhattan became the top place for upcoming designers and art directors who helped
make magazines and adverts how they are today.
• Several buildings in Manhattan housed the most famous and influential figures such as
Alex Brodovitch for Harper’s Bazaar, Steve Frankfurt for “Young & Rubicam” and Art
Paul for “Play Boy” but with all these big names came big competition as each
company tried to sell the most copies as physically possible. However, with everything
being done manually it took months for copies to be finished by each company.
• Esquire became one of the best and most famous magazines by using illustrations and
photographs to create wonderful designs like no others.

8. EVOLUTION
• In 1974 the sensational celebrity magazines appeared and still to this day they are the
best selling magazines.
• Women's magazines such as “cosmopolitan” developed from this and was instantly a
best seller, It chose to focus on younger women, sexuality and chose to stay very open
about things most women felt they couldn’t be open about.
• The fashion magazine industry grew tremendously with magazines such as “Vogue”
and still remain Vogue remains a large industry with little to no competition.
• Many publications disappeared along with the arrival of newer ones.

9. NOW?
• Even with the fast advancement in technology such as phones and the internet, print is
still going and is not dead. The internet allows people to access magazines and papers
online which can be an issue when it comes to printed magazines but despite all this,
people still buy print and it is not expected to die out for a long time.
• Magazines help shape our lives, give us advice, tell us what to eat and what to wear or
what not to wear and therefore magazines will forever be an influential accessory.
There will always be a need for printed magazines.