Photoplay was one of the first American film fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago and reached its peak in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time it was considered quite influential within the motion picture industry. The magazine was renowned for its artwork portraits of film stars on the cover by such artists as Earl Christy and Charles Sheldon. With the advancement of color photography, the magazine began using photographs of the stars instead by 1937. The magazine ceased publication in 1980 (from Wikipedia). The image above was made at the Photofunia site, which has no copyright issues.
January 1920
Where better to start than with the first issue of the roaring twenties. On the cover we have actress Norma Talmadge. The illustrator is Rolf Armstrong.
July 1920
This cover features actress Martha
Mansfield, who tragically died three years later at the age of 24. The cause of death was disturbing: while working on location in San Antonio, she was severely burned when a tossed match ignited her Civil War costume of hoop skirts and flimsy ruffles, and died the next day in hospital. The illustration is by Rolf Armstrong.
July 1921
Many of the actresses who graced the covers in those days have been all but forgotten, but here we have one who is still remembered today: Gloria Swanson, as drawn by Rolf Armstron.
October 1922
This edition has
actress Alice Brady on the cover - one of the lucky ones who managed the
transition from silent movies to talkies without problems. The illustrator is J. Knowles Hare.
February 1923
This copy shows its age, but it is worth it to include the proverbial femme fatale Pola Negri in this post. The illustrator is J. Knowles Hare.
September 1924
Colleen Moore is one of the faces of the twenties - I often see her face pop up in Art Deco blogs. The illustration is by Hal Phyfe.
January 1926
And here we have cute Colleen again. This cover is based on a painting by Livingston Geer.
January 1927
Here we have Olive Borden, whose career plummeted a few years later due to a
reputation for being difficult and her problems to adjust to the new
sound films. But she does look lovely behind the wheel of her car. The illustrator is Carl van Buskirk.
April 1928
Esther Ralston features on this cover, that is based on an illustration by Charles Sheldon.
July 1929
This cover shows actress Bessie Love in an exotic costume, as drawn by Earl Christy, with
a striking headline about the (then) new talkies.
December 1929
This is one of the most appealing covers, depicting Norma Talmadge
as drawn by Earl Christy. She was one of the victims of the rise of the
talkies, hence the article title "the microphone - the terror of the
studios".
January 1930
This cover depicts
actress Billie Dove, in a beautiful art deco outfit. The illustration is by Earl Christy.
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