We bought a small pile of vintage Country Fair magazines last week.
It was their covers that caught our eye. They feature wonderful illustrations of birds, animals, insects etc representing the particular month of publication.
They’re illustrated by John Hanna, an Australian artist who worked in London in the 1950s & 60s.
Inside are photos & articles about gardening, farming, cooking and country pursuits… from a slower-paced, simpler time.
As with many many magazines from this era, the adverts are also well worth a look.
We love the simple, stylised graphics of this one for holidays in Switzerland…
…or how about this one for a fabulous 50s fitted kitchen…
…and nature guides – very reminiscent of early Ladybird books.
If we’ve pricked your interest, and you’d like to find out more, a compendium of the best issues from the ’50s is available from Amazon.
Country Fair (Amazon UK)
Country Fair (Amazon US)
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June 16, 2009 at 6:54 am
Oh wow I love ALL of these. Particularly the ‘Shell’ guide – what an amazingly detailed illustration for an advert!
June 16, 2009 at 4:30 pm
These are lovely thanks for sharing them.
June 17, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Nice share. Makes me wonder when (if?) I will ever have time to share my ephemera collection. Right now it sits in solitude. I salute you for sharing and for the time required to do so.