Magazines were never intended to last forever. How do we look after the magazines in MoDA’s collections for the future, but let people look at them now?
In 2014 we identified that some of the magazines in our collection were in need of conservation work to make them fit for handling.
We employed a freelance conservator to carry out conservation work on over two hundred editions of Woman’s Life, Houswife, Good Housekeeping and Modern Woman. The conservator repaired tears to many of the covers, removed rusty staples and resewed some of the spines.
This conservation work resulted in increased interest in the collections by Middlesex University students and staff, and indirectly resulted in the I Am A Magazine Project in 2017.
“I Am A Magazine”
Find out about a project in which Middlesex University students used historic magazines for creative inspiration.
Historic Magazines given new lease of life
How have we made our magazines more accessible to users?
Women’s Advertising and Mid-century Magazines at MoDA
How were women portrayed in mid-century magazines?