Print Matters: Media and Modernity in Illustrated Magazines, 1910–1970
Edited by Maria Antonella Pelizzari and Andrés Mario Zervigón
Available November 2025
In the early to mid-twentieth century, the vast majority of printed photographs appeared in the pages of illustrated magazines. Publications such as Life, China Pictorial, Drum, Picture Post, and Ebony shaped public perception and mass media consensus like the Internet does today, bringing a shared visual experience to homes and newsstands around the world. The essays in this volume delve into the technologies and visual strategies behind these publications, showing how their layouts were affected by political, commercial, editorial, and artistic factors leading up to World War II. Featuring over 150 images, Print Matters traces how illustrated magazines evolved across countries and continents, offering new insights into their history and enduring impact on culture and society.
Andrés Mario Zervigón is a professor of the history of photography in the Department of Art History at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.