Mid-century magazine illustrations helped to define the era. This illustration by Lynn Buckham showing a couple at the beach extended 2 pages of the July 1959 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine. It accompanied a short story titled, “The Helpless Helpmeet” by Mary Thayer Muller.
It was typical for mid-century women’s magazines to include a number of illustrated short stories in each issue. This issue had 3.
The other 2 short stories from this issue were also illustrated in the classic mid-century style.
After 1959, I noticed a change to this classic style of illustration as the new decade began. The classic Norman Rockwell style of illustration changed completely in the 1960’s as shown below.
Here are 3 illustrations from Good Housekeeping 4 years later from the May 1963 issue.
Mid-Century Page 
Pingback: 10 Passionate Poses – Mid-Century Page
Pingback: The Art of Romance: 1950s Illustrations in Magazines – Mid-Century Page
Pingback: Exploring 1950s Women’s Magazines: Art and Fiction – Mid-Century Page