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Abstract

The turn of the century saw a surge in the number of publications offering interior design advice to the American public. Concurrently, the first specialized journals of interiors began publication as trade journals before the title interior designer was applied to those practicing in the field. This paper describes the evolution of the early professional journals of interior design. The three journals examined, the Decorator and Furnisher, the Upholsterer, and Good Furniture, leaders in the field, survived for more than a decade at a time when a great number of periodicals were started but most perished in less than four years. Changes in content, advertisements, and titles provide a historical perspective about the changing role of the interior decorator and circumstances that prompted the formation of the first professional societies. It is concluded that the long–term success of a journal depended upon its ability to evolve from a broad–based trade journal into a professional journal, the voice of the emerging interiors profession.

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The Early American Journals of Interiors: Reflections of an Emerging Profession

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