1912 issue of Cosmopolitan discovered in student’s grandparents’ garage, preserved at The Media School
Last summer, senior Emily Senefeld discovered a 1912 issue of a Cosmopolitan magazine in her grandparents’ garage. The magazine, miraculously, was preserved and was in good condition, despite being 113 years old.
“I was careful to not go all the way through [it] because it’s a really old magazine, so I just didn’t want to hurt it, but it was really cool,” Senefeld said. “There was just a lot of lifestyle- based and fashion-based [content], and it was fun to see how women got their fashion inspiration outside of digital media that is so prevalent today.”
Senefeld said the issue is not as flashy as current Cosmopolitan magazines.
“It’s elegant, I would say, and very refined,” she said. “It’s just very high class.”
After discovering the magazine, Senefeld decided to give it to Lesa Major, associate professor at The Media School who specializes in framing analysis and public policy. Major teaches J360 Media Analysis for Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle, which Senefeld was in.
“Lesa promotes personal research and exploration about what you’re curious about, so there was already that sense of seeing the student as a learning source as well as the professor,” Senefeld said. “I like that about Lesa. She’s just such an amazing source of knowledge. She’s so well educated and well spoken, and she really made me feel like she would see this magazine as something of a lot of value and be able to help me in wherever I wanted it to end up.”
The magazine currently resides in the archive at The Media School. Josh Bennett, an archivist at The Media School, took the issue and stored it in the archive for safe-keeping.
“As an archivist, my first reaction was that I needed to find an acid-free storage container for it and make sure it’s stored away from light for long-term preservation,” Bennett said. “Early 20th century magazines were printed on highly acidic paper that becomes brittle over time. Acid free housing slows this deterioration.”
Bennett said that he was impressed that the issue was given to him in such good condition.
“It carries much more meaning today than it did 113 years ago — offering historical value, cultural memory, and opportunities for research,” Bennett said.
Senefeld said that she believes it is important to preserve the Cosmopolitan magazine, as well as other older publications like it, because they were important at a time. She said that looking back and reflecting on those older trends and what was stylish at that time is a great way to look at how far people have come since then.
“We are in a really progression-based society where, especially with the new digital age, you’re seeing movement faster than ever,” Senefeld said. “So, it’s nice to hold onto some of those classic pieces.”