Fascination, February, 1946

How about a touch of the exotic on this cold and snowy day?  I know it’s exotic because of the carefully placed oriental paper lantern in the corner.

This is a copy of the very first issue of Fascination: The Magazine of Feminine Finesse.  The magazine evidently didn’t last very long, as the latest issue I’ve spotted is November, 1946.  At first I thought this was a publication of the Avon Cosmetics Company, as it was published by the Avon-Fascination Company.  But looking through the magazine I thought it was puzzling that there were no ads for Avon perfumes, and that the fragrances of other companies were featured in the editorials.

I had to dig a bit deeper, so I started with the name of the publisher, Joseph Meyers, and that is where I got lucky.  Meyers was the publisher of Avon Books, which was a pulp paperback and comics publisher.  According to a 1953 Time magazine article, they published  “westerns, whodunits and the kind of boy-meets-girl story that can be illustrated by a ripe cheesecake jacket.”  This magazine is published on the cheap, pulp paper and as a result, has not held up well.

About the model:

“Fascinating Margo Holliday is Emery Reves-Biro’s choice for cover girl of Fascination‘s first issue.  A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Margo is one of the few successful models who does not, ultimately, have aspirations for a career in Hollywood.  Instead, she insists that her forte is fashion design, and rather than merely talk about it, Margo Margo devotes her every spare moment towards that aim.  Five feet, eleven and one-half inches tall, Margo’s eyes are dark blue and her hair is a rich, naturally curly brown.  The hat she wears for our cover was especially designed for her by Peggy Fischer.”

Photographer:  Emery Reves-Biro
Model:  Margo Holliday
Copyright: Avon Books