Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
The January 21, 1950 issue of The Saturday Evening Post features the cover illustration “Whose Turn?” by M. Coburn Whitmore, widely known as Coby Whitmore. The listing phrase “Mother and Father Whitmore” should not be interpreted as the names of the people in the picture because Whitmore was the artist. His scene depicts two tired parents lying awake while their crying baby demands attention during the night. Each parent appears to be waiting for the other to leave the warmth of the bed and handle the next feeding warmth of the bed and handle the next feeding or diaper change. The humor comes from an instantly recognizable family disagreement rather than an exaggerated public event or celebrity portrait. Whitmore turns fatigue, affection, and mild marital competition into a carefully staged domestic comedy. The cover preserves a polished mid-century interpretation of early parenthood while remaining understandable to readers far beyond its original year.
The magazine’s original cover commentary describes the baby as approximately eight months old and imagines the parents silently deciding who will respond. That explanation reinforces the title “Whose Turn?” without assigning names or a larger fictional identity to the family. Whitmore was known for refined illustrations of contemporary men and women, and this composition applies that elegance to a deliberately unglamorous hour of household life. The parents’ expressions and body language carry the narrative without requiring dialogue printed on the artwork. Their predicament also reflects the magazine’s longstanding use of covers to transform ordinary American experiences into broadly shared visual stories. Modern viewers may read the image in relation to changing expectations concerning fathers, mothers, domestic labor, and nighttime childcare. The cover is therefore useful not only as nostalgic family art but also as evidence of how marriage and parenting were humorously presented to a national audience in 1950.
The interior combines that light domestic cover with substantial reporting, political argument, sports writing, short fiction, and serialized narratives. David G. Wittels opens a five-part investigation titled “The Post Reports on Divorce,” examining a major institution during a period when divorce law and public attitudes varied widely across the United States. Joseph Alsop concludes “Why We Lost China” with an installment concerning General George C. Marshall’s unsuccessful diplomatic mission during the Chinese Civil War. Other articles address political ethics in Washington, blind workers and entrepreneurs, postwar German democracy, the daily work of a Baptist minister, and the physical demands of professional hockey. Four complete short stories appear beside continuing serials by James Warner Bellah and Max Murray. The issue consequently offers a broad record of American concerns at the beginning of 1950, ranging from infant care and marriage to China, Germany, religion, disability, sport, and public service. Related illustration, fiction, and journalism can be explored through other vintage issues of The Saturday Evening Post and through additional magazines published in 1950.
About the Publication
The first publication bearing the name The Saturday Evening Post appeared in Philadelphia in August 1821. It developed from a newspaper-like publication into one of the most widely recognized American general-interest magazines. Under the Curtis Publishing Company, the Post reached a vast national readership through a combination of journalism, fiction, humor, illustration, and advertising. Its articles addressed politics, foreign affairs, business, labor, science, religion, health, sports, family life, and changing social customs. Short stories and serialized novels remained central to the magazine’s identity and introduced readers to both established and emerging writers. The publication also became famous for illustrated covers that presented holidays, workplaces, families, courtship, childhood, travel, recreation, and everyday misunderstandings. Norman Rockwell became its best-known cover artist, but the Post commissioned work from many other prominent illustrators, including Coby Whitmore, John Falter, George Hughes, Stevan Dohanos, and Constantin Alajálov. Cover art generally functioned as an independent visual narrative rather than a direct advertisement for the leading article inside. Editorial departments, letters, cartoons, poetry, and brief informational features added variety between longer works. Advertisements now provide detailed evidence of contemporary automobiles, appliances, clothing, food, medicine, entertainment, and household expectations. Surviving issues preserve both the stories Americans read and the visual ideals through which twentieth-century family and public life were interpreted.
Key Highlights Inside
- “Whose Turn?” is the official title of Coby Whitmore’s cover illustration. It shows two exhausted parents waiting to discover which of them will respond to their crying baby during the night. The scene should not be cataloged as “Mother and Father Whitmore,” because Whitmore is the artist rather than the family’s surname.
- David G. Wittels contributes the first of five articles in “The Post Reports on Divorce.” The series examined American divorce practices, legal procedures, personal conflict, and the gap between formal law and ordinary behavior. Its claims and terminology should be read within the social and legal conditions of 1950 rather than treated as present-day family-law guidance.
- Joseph Alsop’s “Why We Lost China: The Forgotten Mission of General Marshall” concludes a three-part series. The installment concerns George C. Marshall’s attempt to mediate between the Chinese Nationalist government and the Chinese Communist Party after the Second World War. Its interpretation belongs to the immediate American debate that followed the Communist victory in mainland China in 1949.
- The complete short fiction consists of “Snowmaiden” by William L. Worden, “Panic Over the Atlantic” by David Walker, “The Witness Who Wouldn’t Talk” by Harry Klingberg, and “Substitute Parent” by Leon Ware. The issue also contains the first installment of James Warner Bellah’s “The White Invader” and the third of eight parts of Max Murray’s “The Corpse in the Sea.” Plot details beyond the supplied titles and installment information should be established from the original texts.
- Additional articles include “I Get ’Em When They’re Broke,” “He Wants to Keep Washington Honest,” “How Many Germans Are Buying Democracy?,” “Men at Work: Baptist Minister,” and “You Can’t Kill a Hockey Player.” These pieces cover personal enterprise, political integrity, postwar Germany, religious work, and professional sport. Regular features such as letters, editorials, verse, Keeping Posted, and Post Scripts complete the issue’s mixture of information and entertainment.
Condition & Rarity
The listing states that the photographed magazine is the exact physical issue represented by the description. No formal collector grade is provided, so its condition should be evaluated from the accompanying images rather than described automatically as pristine or near mint. The title reports that no mailing or address label is present. This allows the complete “Whose Turn?” artwork, masthead, date, and surrounding cover design to remain unobstructed. A label-free cover is a useful physical characteristic but does not independently demonstrate that the magazine was sold at a newsstand. It also does not by itself establish rarity, superior condition, or increased value. A plastic protective covering accompanies the issue and may reduce additional exposure to dust, fingerprints, and surface abrasion. The sleeve does not confirm page completeness, firm staples, secure cover attachment, or the condition of the interior paper. The outer edges, corners, spine, and cover should be inspected for rubbing, creasing, small tears, paper loss, marks, or fading. Interior examination should check that all stories, article installments, advertisements, editorials, and recurring departments remain present without clipping or detached pages. Any final condition assessment should also consider paper toning, brittleness, moisture exposure, writing, tape, odor, and earlier repairs.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Exact Saturday Evening Post issues can require patience to identify when research is centered on a particular cover artist, family scene, serial installment, or publication date. The January 21, 1950 edition is especially relevant to readers studying Coby Whitmore, American illustration, parenthood, domestic humor, and postwar family culture. Related covers and literary contents can be explored through the broader collection of vintage Saturday Evening Post magazines. Other issues feature children, marriages, household disagreements, professional life, holidays, and ordinary incidents transformed into self-contained visual stories. Neighboring January and February editions are also useful for reconstructing the remaining installments of “The Post Reports on Divorce” and the magazine’s continuing serial fiction. The collection of original magazines from 1950 provides a wider view of the year represented by this issue. Publications from that year preserve the opening Cold War, postwar family life, China policy, religion, sports, advertising, consumer products, fiction, and changing social expectations. Comparing several titles helps distinguish the Post’s combination of narrative illustration and popular literature from the photographic and news-summary formats used by competing magazines. Closely dated issues remain historically useful even when this precise January edition is not represented because they establish its surrounding editorial and cultural chronology. Together, the Saturday Evening Post and 1950 collections provide a useful foundation for continued research into American illustration, publishing, anddomestic culture at mid-century.