Godey: List of Illustrations

By Type:

Color Plates - a hand-tinted fashion plate can be found at the beginning of each magazine. Godey once commented that he had 150 women working in their homes to apply the watercolor to each plate. As the exact hue (and sometimes the color itself, if she ran out of paint) was left to each painter to decide, there were variations. Godey explained this to his readers as an opportunity for them to compare plates and see how a particular garment would look in various shades. These plates were and continue to be collectors' items and so some are missing from these volumes.

Full Page Images - At least one full page steel engraving and sometimes more, along with copper and wood engravings were included in each magazine. These were often used to illustrate one of the fiction pieces, or rather, the fiction works were often used to explain an illustration.

Partial Page Illustrations - Many articles, particularly the nonfiction pieces, contained partial page illustrations.

Dress Instruction, Fashion, and Work - Almost every issue included an illustration and pattern with measurements for a garment. They also included several illustrations for knitted, crocheted, and needlework items, as well as multiple fashion illustrations particularly for such items as cloaks and bonnets.

Drawing Instruction, Architecture Design Illustrations for a column on drawing instruction and pictures and floor plans for buildings were regular features in the magazine.

Sheet Music - A full piece of sheet music accompanied every issue. Polkas, ballads, and other popular musical forms are represented, all arranged for piano.



Godey's Lady's Book: Samples Collection
Created and copyright by Hope Greenberg. Last updated: April 2000.