Wehadtipsfor
ClariceCliff
collectorsand
adviceonhow
toensureyou
nevermisseda
wartime issue.TheJuly 1938 issueopenedwitha
bucolicsceneofbathersbya lakeand
a fewlinesfroma poembyRupert
Brooke.Itwasa swansongforanera
thatwasabouttocometoanend.
Followingfeaturesonbuilding
air-raidsheltersinthegardenand
howtomakeblackoutblinds,Homes
&GardensannounceditsLeague
ofService,witha pledgetopublish
peacefulcontentsthatwouldbe
‘a positivesolacetothemind’.
Beyondreaders’designqueries,
themagazineprovidedguidanceon
housingevacueesandencouragement
forsupportingthewareffort,from
fire-fightingtotheWomen’sLand
Army.Foodandthriftbecamethe
focuswiththeappointment
ofa homeeconomicsgurucalled
MrsD.D.CottingtonTaylor(think
MaryBerrywitha Marcelwave).
Inpreparationforthemagazine’s
21stbirthday,theeditorannounced
theintroductionof‘good,comfortable
fiction’andinspirationalfeatures
ofpsychologicalvalue,for‘readwe
must – it is one of the few forms ofrelaxationlefttous’.Housestories
inthemagazineincreasinglyfocused
onpoliticiansandmilitaryfigures as
a sortofinteriorspropaganda.
Thehorrorsofwarprompteda
nostalgiaforthepast.Readerstook
comfortinpagesthatfeaturedyeolde
cottageinteriorsandthemuch-
malignedstyleoftheVictorianera
enjoyed something of a comeback.→30 s
Technologynow!
We’vecomea longwaysince
electricityopenedupa worldof
newappliances.Notallofthe
innovations went the distance...ThewaisTToner
Jigglingaboutwithanelasticband
strappedtoyourflesh(above)
can’thavebeenrelaxing,sothis
one was bound not to fly.ThecigarlighTer
TheidealChristmasgiftforthe
post-wargentlemanwhohad
everything.Andthenwefound
out the truth about smoking...elecTricpoTaTopeeler
Oneofmany,manynewfangled
inventionspredictedtoimprove
thelivesofbusyhousewives that
never quite took off.TheslenderTone
DuringtheSeventiesandEighties,
thosetooshyforJazzercisewere
toldstickingchargingpadsto
tummieswoulddelivera six-pack.
Today we have the gym...darker days
are loomIng