The Cyclical Nature of Illustration
Jane Yeager
Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
About this Item
- Title
- The Cyclical Nature of Illustration
- Contributor Names
-
Yeager, Jane (Author)
-
Reitschel, Barbara (Thesis advisor)
- Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Illustration (Degree granting institution)
- Date
- 2023
- Degree Information
- M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2023
- Department: Illustration
- Advisor: Barbara Reitschel
- Committee member: Brendan Leach
- Abstract
- This paper will explore the cultural and technological changes that influenced the popularity of illustration within mainstream American women's magazines between the nineteenth century and the present and will set out to prove that the popularity of illustration within these magazines has a cyclical nature, increasing and decreasing regularly over time. The historical section of this paper will document the initial rise of illustration in women's magazines and the histories of prominent illustrators and styles, while also examining the cultural and technological changes that occurred in each time period and assessing how they affected the popularity of illustration in this context. For example, in the 1930s advancements in photography technology and modernist design movements hailing from Europe caused a decline in illustration and a shift towards photography. Starting in the 1960s and continuing into the present, inventions such as television, computers, and the Internet caused advertising money to be redirected away from magazines, shrinking magazines budgets and leading some to bankruptcy. In 2020, the United States experienced cultural unrest as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, political tensions, and the Black Lives Matter movement. This time of national flux led some magazines back to illustration, not only because the pandemic made it more difficult for art directors and models to meet in person for photoshoots, which forced many magazines to rely on art to fill their pages, but also as a means of distinguishing important issues from everyday topics. This paper will then assess the "Current State of the Art" by examining each issue of a list of specific magazines that are representative of the industry from five separate years: 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 and noting how their uses of illustration change from year to year. This approach provides a structured sample set and shows how the popularity of illustration has ebbed and flowed since the start of the digital age. Based on this information, as well as interviews with magazine executives and contemporary illustrators, this paper will make a prediction as to whether the popularity of illustration in women's magazines will continue to operate in a cyclical fashion.
- Rights
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: etd_000996
- Language
- English
Citation
Yeager, J. (2023). The Cyclical Nature of Illustration [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/179281
Yeager, Jane. The Cyclical Nature of Illustration. 2023. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/179281
Yeager, Jane. "The Cyclical Nature of Illustration." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2023. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/179281