British Children's Magazines, 1888 - 1915

The collection consists of 4 sets of homemade magazines designed, handwritten, and illustrated by 3 different groups of British children in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“The Boy’s Treasure” (1891-5) and “The Three Half-Moons” (1888-9) were created by N.A. de Cobain of Swinefleet, Goole in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. They take the form of various popular “Boy’s Own” publications of the era, with a particular interest in stories of crime and punishment and tales of adventure abroad. “The Three Half-Moons” is an earlier effort, featuring handwritten text in a looping child’s cursive, while the production value of the later “Boy’s Treasure” is unusually high: the layout and drawings are of a good quality, and mechanical copies appear to have been made, perhaps via hectograph or other early duplication process. One bound volume and 18 loose issues of 2 folded sheets each. Also included is an unfinished work “The Brotherhood of Blood” purporting to be part of “The Boy’s Budget Library” apparently an offshoot of “The Boys Treasure.” Only one paragraph and a few illustrations are present. “The Three Half-Moons” (1888-9) appears to be an earlier effort by N.A. de Cobain, written and illustrated in pencil and pen-and-ink. Two bound volumes (Nos. 2 and 3).

“Gwynneth” (1908-1909; sometimes “The Gwynneth”) was created by and for three members of the Gillies family residing at Redholme, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. The self-proclaimed “Editress” is Margaret “Madge” Gillies (1894-1981) and the treasurer is her sister Josephine “José” Gillies (1896-1974). Other contributors include a third sister, Doris Gillies (1898-1932), and a friend who refers to herself as “Agnes Grey” – likely a pseudonym. Each issue begins with a letter addressed “Dearest Chicks” and the general contents reflect the daily life of young women in the period, including recipes, facts about flora and fauna, and updates on Mrs. Gillies’ Pekingese puppies. The identity of the eponymous “Gwynneth” is unclear: she may be named after Gwynneth de Cobain (1891-1973), the sister of the boy behind “The Three Half-Moons” and “The Boy’s Treasure” – both families briefly lived in Goole at the same time and may have known each other. 12 issues dating from March 1908 to December 1909, written on lined paper and bound with ribbon or string.

“The Chieftain” (1914-1915) was spearheaded by Francis George Stone, a student at Clifton College in Bristol, England. This may be the same F.G. Stone who would later become a journalist and photographer for the London-based Jewish Chronicle and Country Life magazine. An interest in photography is certainly present here: Stone includes numerous photographs, some taken with a Brownie camera and others cut from printed sources. Also unique to “The Chieftain” is a section on world events, including “War Notes” and other updates on the ongoing First World War. Other names present in the magazine (possibly pseudonyms for Stone himself) are not readily identifiable, but include James Netley, S.W. Crowe, A.S. Hall, F. Stanley Miles, H.J. Evison, John Dulverton, W.Y. Markham, H. Yates-Addis, and J. Ripley Donaldson. Like the other magazine sets in this collection, “The Chieftain” contains serialized tales of adventure, jokes, and other notes and facts of interest to young readers. Stone also includes numerous photographs, both taken with a Brownie camera and cut from printed sources, including members of the royal family and a picture of Charlie Chaplin subtitled “Monarch of the Movies.” 6 issues, 4 from 1914 bound with staples and 2 from 1915, one unbound and one bound with string.

All should be handled with care. A curatorial file contains correspondence concerning Scheetz’s preliminary research into the Gillies family.