The R. C. A. Students’ Magazine, 11 issues 1912-1921
The R. C. A. Students’ Magazine, 11 issues 1912-1921
11 issues of the student magazine produced at the Royal College of Art in London and published monthly, illustrated with examples of students' work. Woodcuts were especially favoured as illustrations, although some issues of the magazine include plates with photographs of student work or tipped in images. The magazine is evidence of the extent to which women students were active in different areas of the school.
The earliest issue in this collection, dating to November 1912, includes an anonymous woman student's satirical essay, "Pot-Pourri", on the requirement for women students to wear hats outside of the School buildings. Suggestions are made (with illustrations) including a tocque to be worn by Painting School students, fashioned out of the much-detested painting smock which could, when wrapped, be a handy hold-all for brushes.
The work of women students at the school is represented in illustrations in the magazines, as well as poems, editorials and comic pieces. By November 1913, the magazine's sub editor was Muriel Ida Perrin, a Sculpture student at the Royal College of Art. In 1916 Perrin won a prize for her design for war memorials and she later illustrated Margaret Taylor's Dickie's Star and Other Children's Stories (1939).
The Magazine reflects significant events of the day, including the damage done by suffragettes Mary Wood and Maud Kate Smith to works by John Singer Sergeant and George Clausen at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition in 1914 - this was turned into a plea for the next suffragette entering the Royal Academy to damage the work of an RCA student for the publicity garnered.
This collection includes the first two issues of the Magazine when it resumed production after the war in 1921. Featured in these are the work of engraver Alma Elliott, and Misses D. Boulton, B. H. Benjamin, and F. Raymond and N. Jacqueline Pietersen, Miss E. C. Tipping and Miss D. Birchall. The magazine was printed by George W. Jones, a noted printer and typeface designer.
Issues: November 1912 (Vol 2 No 8) 4-23pp, July 1913 (Vol 2 No 16) 154-176pp, November 1913 (Vol 3 No 17), 2-24pp, February 1914 (Vol 3 No 20) 74-96pp, Mar 1914 (Vol 3 No 21) 98-120pp, April-May 1914 (Vol 3 No 22)123-144pp, June 1914 (Vol 3 No 23)147-168pp, Autumn 1914 (Vol 3 No 24)171-187pp, Spring 1915 (Vol 4 No 25) [2) 3-28pp, February 1921 (New Series No 1) 3-16pp, May 1921 (New Series No 2) 19-32pp. 25.5 x 16cm. The condition of the magazines is good overall, with sun fading and damage to edges of the paper covers, four issues have multiple torn areas to the covers. Stapled bindings, with rust marks and some loose pages. All issues appear complete, the sequential numbering of the monthly issues is given.
Issues of the magazine are not particularly common.