Interwar Culture
Interwar Culture showcases a vast collection of popular and lesser-known periodicals published during these dynamic yet turbulent decades with articles covering arts and culture, fashion, home and family life, travel, world current affairs, class, social and welfare issues as well as a wealth of writing from some of the most prominent literary figures of the era.
The historically significant and highly visual periodicals that make up Interwar Culture, predominantly from the United Kingdom and United States, provide a rich insight into these topics as well as allowing examination of the burgeoning media industries that both shaped and reflected society.
The collection represents the most diverse digital resource available for the study of periodicals that defined the interwar years and what they reveal about life, society, and popular culture.
Highlights
- Twenty years of Time and Tide, the only British weekly review of the interwar period produced and edited entirely by women
- Beautifully preserved fashion illustrations from titles such as Femina, Newest Styles for Men, Weldon's Ladies' Journal and Art, Goût, Beauté
- High-profile literary works from The Strand Magazine, the publication that popularised Sherlock Holmes
- A rich history of interwar arts and entertainment: treading the boards with Theatre Magazine and the glamour of early cinema from Cinema Quarterly
- A wide range of popular story papers for every audience, from Chums and Peg's Paper to The Schoolgirls' Weekly and Mystery - the Illustrated Detective Magazine
- Rare insight into the physical culture of the interwar years from The Superman, including body-building and reader competitions
- A selection of home interest magazines, including Homes & Gardens, the UK's first ever home interest magazine launched in 1919
- A view across the wide and varied spectrum of interwar politics and current affairs, including The Labour Woman, Le Crapouillot and The United American
Included in
Modules include
| Module | Summary | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Module I |
The periodicals showcased in Module I reflect the social, artistic and culture dynamism that characterised the Roaring Twenties in fashion, music, literature, dance and entertainment, as well as post-war intellectual thought and modernism. |
1919-1929 |
| Module II |
The second module tracks cultural shifts through periodicals of the 1930s, a turbulent decade of contradictions set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, mass unemployment and the rise of fascism. The 1930s also witnessed a renewed and fierce appetite for entertainment and culture, seen in the booming film industry, seminal works of art and literature, and ground-breaking innovations in technology, architecture and aviation. |
1930-1939 |
Key data
Period covered
Source archives
- British Library
- Future PLC
- Liverpool John Moores University
- The Newberry Library
- New York Public Library
- State Library of New South Wales
- Art and literature
- Children’s interest
- Domestic and family life
- Employment and industry
- Fashion and design
- Home and gardens
- Men’s lifestyle
- Social, cultural and political affairs
- Periodicals
- Patrick Collier, Ball State University
- Maria DiCenzo, Wilfrid Laurier University
- Barbara Green, University of Notre Dame
- Faye Hammill, University of Glasgow
- Richard Hornsey, University of Nottingham
- Catherine Keyser, University of South Carolina
- Deborah Sugg Ryan, University of Portsmouth
- Business and Economics
- Cultural Studies
- European Studies
- Gender
- Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Northern Irish Studies
- North American Studies
- Women's History
