2Neat Magazines - Vintage Magazines are FUN

04/04/2026

Sometimes you just HAVE TO judge a book by its cover!! :-) I saw this one in a Little Free Library and instantly recognized the cover art. Indeed, it is an exact copy of the art on the cover of Life magazine March 27, 1924 by J. Grenard. The only things Lynn Buckley changed when she designed the cover were to delete the title "Life" and change the background color from green to blue.

At first I was taken aback that such a blatant use (an outright copy) of the art was made. Then I remembered that art that old is usually no longer covered by copyright. Additionally, the publisher did credit the original artist, Life magazine (with date) and the source of their copy (Mary Evan Picture Library). So, I guess all is well. :-)

The book, by the way, is GOOD! It is set in the English countryside and features a heart-warming older gentleman and his attempt to befriend some of the immigrants who have settled there (new and old). The author does a masterful job of describing the often humorous pitfalls when different cultures and traditions meet. Let me know if you read it and what you think of it.

It is only fitting that this cover art is titled "April Fool" and we have all just survived this year's April Fools Day. https://2neat.com/product/life-magazine-march-27-1924-2160/

01/24/2026

The judicial system in the USA as it is today (shown in artwork from Life magazine February 8, 1917). https://2neat.com/product/life-magazine-february-8-1917-1789-rea-irvin/

In this artwork by Rea Irvin, we see Fat Lady Justice (who is clearly living high on the spoils of her position) peeking around her blind-fold and holding the scales of justice unbalanced by a pay-off. There is an inattentive jury behind her and fighting lawyers in front of her. The wise owls are carefully not looking at her.

It is heartbreaking that the upper levels of our legal system have fallen like this. No longer is the rule of law applied equally, lawlessness is being overlooked when committed by one party, and political revenge is being granted a place in the legal process. SHAME on the Judicial branch of Government and the Supreme Court.

The caption at the bottom "Fiat justitia ruat caelum" is a Latin legal maxim meaning "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall". It signifies that justice should be upheld regardless of the consequences, disruption, or consequences involved. The phrase is often used to emphasize the importance of impartial, rigorous law enforcement.

Yup, that's really NOT happening anymore!

12/21/2025

Just for fun ... a non-holiday post. Read the caption of the artwork and grin. 😀😀

This is a detail of the cover art of the Life magazine issue from October 22, 1896, art by Ellen Gertrude Emmet. https://2neat.com/product-category/life-magazine-1883-1936/life-1896/

12/08/2025

Have a BIG birthday coming up in 2026? Beat the crowd and get your fun 1926 issue of LIFE now! I just lowered all the 1926 prices and the savings are amazing!

LIFE 1926 - Original LIFE Magazines (1883-1936) for sale. Vintage magazines with wonderful illustrations and timely historical articles.

12/01/2025

Vintage paper is fun in all forms! Here is a darling antique postcard a friend sent to me for Christmas. You can see the original address : Miss Clara Thompson, Martinsdale, Montana. Can you even imagine something being delivered with so little address today? ! Of course, the current (2020) population of Martinsdale was only 43, so I'm guessing it was never a metropolis.

I did a little detective work to figure out the age of the postcard and the answer is probably 1907-1914. The cost of postcard postage at 1 cent, the divided back, the lack of a white border, and the fact that the postcard was printed in Germany all point to those dates. See below for some information from the USPS website.

Deltiology: The Study and Collection of Postcards

The time periods are generally defined as shown below.
"Private Mailing Card" Era, 1898-1901 The Act of May 19, 1898, authorizing a special postage rate for postcards, required that the words "Private Mailing Card" appear on the address side.

"Post Card" Era, 1902-1907 On December 24, 1901, the Postmaster General ordered that "Post Card" be printed on postcards in lieu of "Private Mailing Card," although previously-issued cards bearing the earlier phrase could still be mailed.

Divided Back Era, 1907-1914 Until March 1, 1907, postal regulations prohibited written messages on the address side of postcards. The period before 1907 is sometimes called the "undivided back" era.

White Border Era, 1915-1930 During this period, printers often left a white border around the entire postcard image.

Linen Era, 1930-1944 Postcards were often printed with colorful ink, with or without a border, on paper with a linen-like texture.
Photochrome Era, 1945-to date Photochrome postcards have a shiny finish and photographic images.

Happy Holidays to all of you who love vintage paper!

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving! May your table and your hearts be full today.

This artwork by the eminent artist Paul Stahr appeared on the cover of Life magazine November 5, 1914.

11/19/2025

Ahh ... I feel for that sad little pup! His humans have so much and he has so little!

This excellent art is probably by the famous Herbert Paus and it appeared on the cover of Life magazine November 4, 1920. https://2neat.com/product/life-magazine-november-4-1920-1983/

Do your pets get to participate in your Thanksgiving festivities? Ours does, for sure! Please do select treats from the pet-health-approved options.

May your Thanksgiving be a good one this year!

11/19/2025

If you love the elegance of Art Deco and the fun of the 1920s, you will love the Life magazines from that era. Check out 1926, for example : https://2neat.com/product-category/life-magazine-1883-1936/life-1926/

Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox in Spokane, Washington — a stunning example of restored Art Deco brilliance. Once a 1931 movie palace, today it stands as a glowing tribute to bold design, geometric glamour, and the golden age of American theaters.

Credit: Respective Owner (DM for credit or removals)

11/09/2025

Whenever I think of Thanksgiving, this Life cover comes to mind first. I hope all of you great chefs out there get a little bit of well-deserved worship from your friends and family!

2Neat LOVES this cover ... a couple kneeling respectfully in front of the chef who is ready to carve his aromatic roasted turkey. Or, perhaps they are worshipping at the shrine of fine Thanksgiving dining. Also wonderful is the chef's "lording it over you" look.

Is Thanksgiving meal preparation also taking the highest position in your house today and tomorrow? It sure is here!

The artist who created this perfect cover art is Paul Stahr. From the American Art Archives, "Comfortable with everything from comedy to crime, Stahr had long running associations with the pulps (especially Argosy) and the weekly comics (notably Life); also work for Collier's, Munsey, Saturday Evening Post, Judge, American Magazine, People's Home Journal. Responsible for a number of book covers for authors like Mrs. Wilson Woodrow, W. R Burnett (Little Cesar), Leslie Charteris (The Saint), Abraham Merritt, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep)."

This great Thanksgiving art appears on the cover of Life magazine November 7, 1912 : https://2neat.com/product/life-magazine-november-7-1912-1567/

10/29/2025

So pretty that we want to see it again. :-)

Not all witches are scary! (And yet another reason why 2Neat likes vintage advertising).

This lovely lady illuminated an Ipswich Hosiery ad in LIFE magazine June 18, 1925. https://2neat.com/product/life-magazine-june-18-1925-2224-charles-dana-gibson/ Yes, you caught it ... the witch theme came from the name of the town and the company in it. A variety of witch-themed Ipswich ads were created by The Reeses, the husband and wife team of Emily and Walter Reese. The Reeses were active in the illustration market during the 1910s and 20s. They did some magazine covers between 1910 and 1915 plus the odd book, but mostly they specialized in advertising work. See another post tomorrow for another one of their ads.

The history of the Ipswich Mills is fascinating. Excerpt from Historic Ipswich :

"In the mid-18th Century a group of Ipswich women started making and selling lace with distinctive patterns. Small round lap pillows were used to pace the bobbins and needles as the lace grew around it. Ipswich lace quickly became very popular and played an important role during the American Revolution. At the height of its popularity the women and girls of Ipswich were producing more than 40,000 yards of lace annually.

Ipswich lace became extremely popular and during the American Revolution; itwas a way for women to support their families while the husbands were away. Wearing Ipswich lace became a status symbol, and on George Washington’s 1789 visit to Ipswich he obtained some black silk lace for his wife Martha.

In the 1820s Ipswich industrialists imported machines from England to mechanize and speed up the operation, and opened a factory on High Street. Lace was now mass-produced and lost its status as a symbol of wealth. Their efforts destroyed the hand-made lace industry.

Stocking-making developed as a home industry in Ipswich after the first stocking machine was smuggled from England to Ipswich in 1822. Tanning, shoemaking and machine knitting industries also started up, and immigrants from England, Ireland, Canada, Poland and Greece arrived in Ipswich to work in the mills. Many of their descendants still live in Ipswich, contributing to its diverse cultural heritage.

The Ipswich Mill Company was founded in 1868 by Amos Adams Lawrence, and developed the Ipswich, Massachusetts area, which had seen a variety of industrial uses since the 18th century. The company manufactured hosiery, one of the community's early industries, and grew to become the largest hosiery maker in the world between 1916 and 1919, with mills in five New England locations. Demand for the mill's products declined after the First World War, and its mills were shuttered one by one, with the Ipswich mill closing in 1928.

10/29/2025

Ahhh ... the glow of love enhanced by a jack-o-lantern. 🥰❤️🎃

This heart-warming art by Victor C. Anderson appeared on the cover of Life magazine for November 5, 1908. The issue also has some great Thanksgiving content inside!

– Full page art or cartoon art by Harrison Cady, “The original Thanksgiving dinner in old Plymouth,” bears eating the spread as pilgrims cling up in a tree.

– Two page centerspread art by John A. Williams, “The lull before the storm,” man and wife timidly preparing to knock on kitchen door, behind which lies chaos and a drunken cook.

As always with these humorous early Life magazines, every page inside is FUN! https://2neat.com/product/life-magazine-november-5-1908-1358-upset-cook/