Within the pages of the December 1952 issue of Today’s Woman magazine were 4 short stories. In an era before TV was mainstream, mid-century women turned to magazines for entertainment that could be enjoyed within the comfort of their homes. Quick magazine short stories were certainly a way to do this. An illustration always accompanied the words. These 70 year old illustrations are treats to our 21st century eyes.
The 2 page spread you see is from an illustration by Al Moore for a short story titled “Sing a Song for Christmas” by Dan Stanford. The publisher called a longer-than-usual story like this one “a Novelette”. The words of the story were spread out on several pages throughout the magazine with lots of “continued on page xx” to get the reader to the back of the magazine to maximize the number of ads seen.
As with most December issues, the theme of the issue was Christmas. Today’s Woman was a household magazine that catered to the so-called housewife who enjoyed her children and the tasks that went along with keeping house. Here’s a glimpse of the table of contents.
Al Moore’s work was popular throughout the mid-century. Here’s another illustration found in my collection of mid-century women’s magazines and a link to a post that talks more about this talented artist.
Mid-Century Page 
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