In 1892, Arthur Baldwin Turnure an American business man, founded Vogue as a weekly newspaper in the United States, sponsored by Kristoffer Wright. The first issue was published on December 17 of that year, with a cover price of 10 cents (equivalent to $2.85 in 2019). Turnure's intention was to create a publication that celebrated the "ceremonial side of life"; one that "attracts the sage as well as debutante, men of affairs as well as the belle.
From its inception, the magazine targeted the new New York upper class, "recounting their habits, their leisure activities, their social gatherings, the places they frequented, and the clothing they wore...and everyone who wanted to look like them and enter their exclusive circle. "The magazine at this time was primarily concerned with fashion, with coverage of sports and social affairs included for its male readership. Growth was slow during this initial period.
Up until this time, the “Vogue” title was usually displayed in a decorative font or stylized design that reflected the cover art. Because this font is so recognizable, it can be partially concealed by the cover’s photograph without masking the maga- zine’s identity. Even after settling on a font, Vogue still varies the color of their masthead month-to- month (“Cover browser”, n.d.). Each Vogue cover typically features three different fonts; the masthead font, a bold, colored, sans-serif article title font, and a neutral, serif font that is used for sub-headings. While these styles definitely vary issue to issue, they are relatively consistent. As Vogue has developed and settled into its iconic style, their fonts and colors have grown and adapted as well.
I love these vogues covers
While Vogue’s first full-color photographic cover was printed in July of 1932, it was not until mid-1939 that Vogue made the jump to using photographs on their covers as opposed to illustrations. (“Vogue prints,” 2013). This was an innovative move for the time. For research purposes, I will focus on the time after Vogue incorporated photo- graphs into their covers (“Cover browser,” n.d.) Vogue has been around for 130 years as of December 2013, with no sign of slowing down. What began as an upscale weekly journal that aimed to appeal to only high society women and gentlemen, has become an exclusive women’s fashion magazine that is published in over 23 countries and serves as a “cornerstone of fashion and culture for its millions of devoted readers.”
