It’s a warm and beautiful day in the southern mountains. It’s enough to make one want to put on the sporty duds and crank up the motorcar for an adventure in the country.
In 1913, Cosmopolitan was a very different magazine from the publication Helen Hurley Brown transformed in the mid 1960s. Established in 1886 as a family magazine, by the time William Randolph Hearst bought it in 1905, it was primarily a literary publication. Besides Jack London, contributors included Willa Cather, H.G. Wells, Upton Sinclair, Edith Wharton, and Ida Tarbell.
The magazine was also known for their beautiful covers which featured illustrations by artists such as James Montgomery Flagg, Francis Attwood, and Harrison Fisher, who did this cover.
Illustrator: Harrison Fisher
Copyright: Hearst Corporation
The Vintage Traveler 
Lizzie…I remember the Cosmopolitan of old…and was always surprised at the turn it took. I guess, under the “Cover” of progress….like most everything else went. It is refreshing to view a 1913 cover. Thanks.
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The story of the hows and whys of the changes Brown made to Cosmo is really interesting. She actually “went shopping” for a magazine where she could continue on with the ideas she put forth in her book, “Sex and the Single Girl.”
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It is ridiculously gorgeous today, isn’t it? (Have I mentioned that I’m right here in Asheville?) Anyway, that couple is certainly elegant, but they don’t actually look like they’re having a very good time. I think I’ll take these ladies as my vicarious motorers:
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I had no idea you were in Asheville! We need to compare notes.
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Yes! That would be fun. I don’t get out for much shopping because my husband is disabled, so I’m living vicariously through your trips to SC and Charlotte…
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I recently read a book (non-fiction) called 80 Days, in which the ladylike female literary editor of Cosmopolitan raced Nelly Bly around the world. Among other things it included a fascinating discussion of the role of women in publishing in the 1880s.
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Must add to reading list…
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Gorgeous! That looks and sounds like a Cosmo I’d want to read.
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