There is a women’s lifestyle magazine in Canada that I really enjoy reading called ‘Chatelaine‘, which has been in publication since 1928, yes you heard that right…1928. That is a fantastic achievement and I applaud their savy business sense to remain so popular over all these years.
Today’s post I wanted to show off some of the fantastic vintage covers that they have had since the late 1920s up to early 1950s and give you a brief overview of the history of the magazine.
Chatelaine-The Canadian Magazine for Women since 1928
The Brief History of Chatelaine:
Chatelaine was first published in March 1928. It was created by the Maclean Hunter Publishing Company as a means to reach a different demographic than its other publications, Maclean’s and the Financial Post.
It’s title refers to the ring of keys which housewives long ago would use to get into every part of the house. The winning name was chosen from 75,000 entries and the winner ( A rancher’s wife from Eburne, British Columbia) won, $1000 cdn.
Chatelaine’s original price was ten cents per copy, and this price did not change until 1950, when it increased to fifteen cents (source).
The magazine never shied away from controversy and important subjects for women. Topics like:
An article in December 1929 entitled “Now That Women Are Persons, What’s Ahead?”, that was based on the Persons Case—a famous Canadian constitutional case that decided that women were eligible to sit in the Canadian Senate.
In its first years, the magazine served as a sounding board for women at the end of the first wave of feminism. In 1928 and 1929, article topics included panic over the rising divorce rate, “Wages and Wives” (April 1929), and the high maternal mortality rate in rural Canada (July 1928).
However during the 1930s, the magazine became less political. Popular parts of the magazine included monthly budget meal plans and romantic fiction.
WW2, the mag participated in the media and propaganda frenzy by publishing cover images of young women in uniform, working on farms, and contributing to the war effort.
In the 60s early 1970s there were articles about the pill, sex and women’s rights (source).
In the past, the magazine has named a Woman of the Year, honouring a Canadian woman for her achievements in the previous year. Honorees have included Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
The Vintage Chatelaine Magazine Covers (some of my favorites):
August 1929-1920s Fashion on display.
August 1932. Can I have all the outfits in this image?
August 1938-“What did your husband give up for marriage?” This is the less political time in the magazines career.
February 1940-Nice Hat!
June 1941-Travel Canada.
February 1941. Make Do and Mend?
September 1942- “Women in War Industry”.
Interested in further reading on this topic? Then make sure you check out my archived posts on “World War 2 Women’s Contributions & Homefront Posts“.
February 1943-Career Girl.
November 1943-Buy Victory Bonds!
May 1944-Bride & her Military Groom.
January 1948-It would not be a Canadian magazine if you did not have a skiing cover (this is one of many covers with this theme).
September 1948-“You Marry a Man’s Whole Family“.
August 1949-Getting ready to head back to College.
Want to see more? Then check out Chatelaine’s Pinterest page for many many more beautiful and historic covers.
Did you have a favorite cover? Mine was February 1941.
FURTHER READING: Vintage Magazines & Catalogs (Archived blog posts 1920s-1960s)
Liz 🙂
