In order to see how the zines of modern feminism link back to the 1st wave journals and pamphlets, I investigated the style and illustrations used in past journals.
'Depending on one’s definition of a “suffrage paper,” it is difficult to say which was the first. Credit is sometimes given to Amelia Bloomer’s The Lily, which began on January 1, 1849 as a temperance journal, not as a voice for suffrage. Others credit Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis’ publication, The Una, which first appeared in February of 1853 as the first because of its focus on feminist issues. Most, but not all, of these publications had a short life span, economics and debt overcoming the zeal of their founders.'
The ForeRunner (1906-1916) - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
She started her career as an artist but then became better know as an author. This combination of skills probably attributed to her skills. Over 7 years, Gilman produced 86 issues, each 28 pages long. The magazine at its height, however, had but 1,500 subscribers. Because Gilman serialized many of her works in its pages, she felt that she lost out on book sales and income, but the sacrifice was worth it in terms of her ultimate purpose of reforming society along what she felt to be more humanistic values.
The Suffragette (1912-1915) - Christabel Pankhurst
'An advertising campaign was launched that included the introduction of several colorful art posters that promoted the new paper.' - the introduction of colourful posters to promote the publication was exciting and stood out against the advertising of the time. Perhaps this is something to consider for the practical project.
'Through such efforts, the paper in the best of times did reach a circulation of 17,000. However, the Home Office was determined to suppress the paper. On May 2, 1913, the manager of the Victoria Printing Company, which had printed that week’s issue, was arrested. Another publisher was found and another publisher was arrested.' no matter how attuned to society a magazine can be, ultimately
the power lies with the publisher. It was eventually printed by progressive publishers in Glasgow.
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