Collections Research volunteer Diane researched this fascinating object from the Powerhouse Collection, Object No. 87/752 – The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine, 1954, uncovering the story behind one of Australia’s most influential publications.
This issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly dated 8 December 1954, offered a snapshot of everyday Australian life in the lead-up to Christmas during the 1950s. The cover features a fashionably dressed woman accompanied by a dog in a field of flowers. Sold for one shilling, the magazine reached an extraordinary circulation of around 750,000 copies every week, making it one of the country’s most widely read publications.
Inside its pages, readers found a rich mix of content designed to entertain, inform and inspire. This edition includes American-style party food ideas for the festive season, letters from readers, the next instalment of an ongoing romance novel, and numerous advertisements reflecting the products and lifestyles of the day. The back cover embraces the approaching Christmas season with an advertisement for gift boxes from the Australian biscuit company Arnott’s.
The story of The Australian Women’s Weekly began in 1933, following the takeover of the struggling newspaper The World by Douglas Frank Hewson Packer and Edward Granville Theodore in 1932. Faced with a three-year embargo preventing the launch of another newspaper, the editor proposed an alternative – a magazine focused on the interests of women that would appeal across all levels of Australian society.
The first issue was published on 10 June 1933 and proved an immediate success, reportedly selling out by lunchtime. Covering lifestyle, home décor, fashion, health and wellbeing, cooking and parenting, the magazine quickly established itself as an essential part of Australian households. Alongside practical advice, it became renowned for publishing light fiction by popular English and Australian authors, giving readers access to entertaining serialised stories week after week.
Although The Australian Women’s Weekly celebrated women’s roles within the home, it also evolved into a publication that broadened readers’ horizons. Over the decades it introduced discussions about politics, current affairs, other cultures and the changing rights and opportunities available to Australian women. In doing so, it became much more than a lifestyle magazine, it documented and, in many ways, reflected the changing social landscape of Australia.
Today, The Australian Women’s Weekly continues as a monthly publication and remains one of Australia’s most recognisable magazine titles.
Thanks to Diane for uncovering the remarkable story behind this object and highlighting the enduring legacy of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Research by volunteer Diane. Blog post by Karen Griffiths, Volunteers Program Officer.