Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is the oldest American newspaper , founded in 1738 by Benjamin Franklin, it is essential during the 19th century like family and popular newspaper proposing political Leitartikeces and of topicality, sporting chronicles or of the serials. At the beginning of the 20th century, Post systematically offers to its readers an illustrated cover presenting a scene of the daily life.
With the first access, the vision of America which gives the covers of Post is completely idyllic. We surprise ourselves to dream by contemplating these representations of a simple and charming happiness. They are children who play balloon, of the family celebrations, the cow-boys and of main roads which cross the desert. We attend tenderized with the small pleasures and the incidental menus which rythment life of the families. And it is the influenza of small, the bad mood of the father who does not find his tie, the puncture at the time of the departure in vacancy or the joke of schoolboy.
These images speak to us because they point out our own experiences inevitably to us, because they make re-appear these thousands of moments, seemingly pain-killers, which make that the life is worth the sorrow to be lived. It is a compilation of privileged moments, seconds of joy, short euphorias.
However, to look at there more closely, the scenes published by Saturday Evening Post somewhat badly put at ease. They represent only the lower middle class, this middle class American which benefits from the thirty glorious ones and the material living conditions improve since the war. And, it is there this American dream, materialized by the refrigerators and shakers, the expensive leisures and the holidays at the edge of the lakes, the glowing cars and television. At the sides of these Mr. and Mrs Bridge, one would seek one in vain excluded or an atypical citizen. There is little place in this world reassuring for the Blacks, the Indians, the poor or the nonconformists. Only America of the WASP in rise has established among.
When finally, one leans on the titles of the principal articles of the newspaper, it Malayan develops. One speaks “red teachers”, “Plans of Stalin”, war of Korea or atomic submarines Soviet to us which monitor our coasts. And the terrible truth is essential then: they are afraid. Fear of the Communists, fear that the prosperity does not last, fear which the democrats gain, fear which the Blacks dispute to them the dividends of the richness. And this America of postcard, this image bonenfant of the good being, this laughter and these tears which moved us so much leave the place to wedged and preserving America, of this Nation which will lose any dignity while following Mac Carthy.
Post always exists, there changed well. Become a subsidiary company of the Benjamin Franklin Literary and Medical Society, it specialized in the years seventy in the medical questions, the nutrition, the preventive medicine and the fitness. A televised show and radio programs present the last projections in the field of health. Another time…