PSR#1 On The HOME: An Australian Quarterly

 PSR 1: Primary Source Report on The HOME Magazine January 1934 Issue by Karla Destéfani

Complete APA 7th Citation

(1920). THE HOME, The Home: An Australian Quarterly. Trove. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-388080563 

Circulation

According to Trove, the first issue of The HOME was published in February 1920. Initially, the magazine was published quarterly and this lasted until 1924 where they began to publish five or six per year. In 1926 the frequency shot up once more with almost a magazine per month which continued to be the situation in 1934 when the January issue was released. This issue proclaims that it is "The Australian Journal of Quality - Published Once a Month" (pg.17). Issues continued to be released at this rate up to September 1942 according to the Trove database.

Editor

Screen Capture of Page 17 in Vol 15. no. 1.

In researching online I discovered Harold Herbert to be primarily an illustrator and Basil Burdett to be a journalist, art dealer and critic who contributed to a variety of magazines (Brisbane Daily Mail, Art in Australia and the Melbourne Herald). There was less success in finding information on the sub-editor Mrs Bligh Jones.

Implied Reader

The advertising is diverse.

Page 2 - Makeup, focus on "convenience" "beauty" and only available at "leading shops"
This points towards a wealthier woman, who has the money to spend on higher end products to wear to her assumed "dancing" and "dinning." 

Page 3 - Holiday to the Solomon Islands, portraying the natives as exotic and simplistic. There are words such as "Free" present which could imply they are targetting a lower class individual, however, the impressive colours and notion of being able to spend a month or more on holiday targets higher class individuals. There is a male native instead of a female, it may be a stretch but potentially this could be feeding a female-gaze rather than a male one. 

Page 4 - Cheese ad. The artwork of the cheese is presented more artistically with bright colours and the inclusion of a small boy. Along with the tag line, "Only the finest cheese is made by Kraft" denotes a higher class. The prose is written towards a parent, most likely a woman, advising them on why this cheese is healthier. 

Page 5 - displays a range of ads including, weight loss, school uniforms, hairdressing, cutlery and a book published by Art in Australia. These 'homely' aspects point towards a woman audience.

The Bear Book publish by Art in Australia whom one of the editors of The Home also worked on. 

Page 6 - Personal and social. Covers "gossip" topics and is surrounded by advertisements on skincare among others. Points towards a female audience. 

Page 7 - Toothbrush advertisements - points towards a household (neutral gender). 

Page 8 - Sport frocks, some advertisements with imagery of female attire and some only with text and negative space. 

Page 12 - Photographer advertisement; "The only exclusively French Salon"; "Comfortable" hotel advertisements; "Luxurious" Car hire advertisement. All black and white imagery. The car and hotel advertisements point towards a male reader. 

Page 13 - Pet market advertisements - "Royal Sacred" "Ideal cat for house or car"  To have enough money to own a pet, let alone a more expensive pet you would need to be of a higher class. 

Page 14 - Expensive female garments. 

Screen Capture of Page 14 in Vol 15. no. 1.

Page 16 - Pad advertisements presented in a luxurious way with the female silhouette - "How do I tell my daughter?"

Screen Capture of Page 16 in Vol 15. no. 1.

This trend continues throughout the magazine. It tailors it's contents to an upper-class household. All the women present in advertisements are caucasian so it can be assumed this the demographic to is caucasian.  It is considered a household magazine due to its focus on taking care of children of a variety of ages, masculine commodities as well as female beauty - in this way it targets a group of individuals. It is the upper class due to the matters of importance within the issue such as pets, appearance and fashion. 

Focus on contents

The issue is heavily populated with advertisements, focussing on the commodities the person could buy. The larger prose segments typically cover mini-biographies of noteworthy persons, details attending a particular event, or in-depth discussions in an almost story-like manner, for instance, discussing the arrangement of bushes (p.37). 

These "story-time" pieces take up the most pages alongside advertisements.

There is heavy advertising present.  The advertisements will either be placed beside prose framing it or have its own pages. The most popular advertisements surround appearance - clothing (undergarments and outerwear), hair, skin - swiftly followed by leisure activities such as alcohol, dancing, hotels, travel and finally commodities such as cars and rugs. 

The magazine does not appear outwardly political but it does hold strong beliefs surrounding the importance of appearance. 

Format

The issues are 76 pages long, they use colour through the magazine but not every page is full colour. Certain advertisements are full colour, but most commonly only certain segments use 3 or so colours to enhance the visuals. Photography and illustrations are prominent. Illustrations are incredibly common in advertisements, photography is more common accompanying the longer prose. In both cases, it is often quite artful with care placed into lighting and composition. This use of imagery really enhances the communication and escapism aspect of the magazine. The imagery assists with visualising what authors are discussing and allows the reader to place themself on the holiday island, in the garment etc..

Below are images to showcase what I mean.

Screen Capture of Page 63 in Vol 15. no. 1.

Screen Capture of Page 48 in Vol 15. no. 1.

Usefulness to topic

I intend to discuss consumer culture in relation to women's fashion accross classes. I would like to compare The HOME and The Australian Women's Weekly. This issue functions as a great primary source for me to refer to when analysing women's fashion in more depth. 

References

Auslit. (2020). Basil Burdette. Auslit. https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A117151

Auslit. (2020). Harold B. Herbert. Auslit. https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A102010

Invaluable. (2020). Harold Herbert Auction Price Results. Invaluable. https://www.invaluable.com/artist/herbert-harold-vc7fecxy74/sold-at-auction-prices/