We like art. Art wants to be seen; it does no good if it can't be seen. There's a lot of art that's been hidden away for fifty or a hundred years or more—hidden away not because it's bad art, or because someone tried to suppress it, but just because it was part of something transient. Once that transient thing had its day in our living rooms, it fell from view and the art that it held was lost to us.

Magazines shaped our lives. They came into our homes and showed us how to dress, how to act, what to read, which way to vote, and how to think about ourselves, literature, science, art, and the rest of the world. We've created this website because these magazine covers are difficult to find and study, even considering all the influence they had on us. We're here because we love the art and want to make it available once again. Take a look around; try one of the links in the left column.

The great illustrators of the period 1850-1920 had a tremendous influence on us; they affected us both directly, and subconsciously. They painted the covers for the magazines that were published under thousands of titles, in millions and millions of copies. Today those magazines are forgotten, and the artwork that graced their covers is unknown to the general public and obscure even to specialists.

We're trying to do something about that. We're putting images of the covers up on the web. MagazineArt.org is not intended as a moneymaker, though we do try to cover our costs by placing ads on our pages. You can even donate small amounts of money using the links at the lower left. But, anyway, whatever; you don't have to pay anything to see these images. In fact, you don't have to do anything, except look at the pictures.

There are already several hundred megabytes of cover images on this site, in different categories, linked from the contents page. More to come; lots more. We also have information pages about specific magazines, publishers, editors, artists, and publishing companies. Have a look!

Why is Art? Is florid decoration Art? Neo-realism, abstraction, cubism, pop and pattern? Do we know what we like? Or do we just like what we know? Who knows; who can tell. Imagine a world without art, sans decoration, minus a garnish and lacking all design. Why bother, we say. Have some art.