From Germany to Brazil: the History of th Magazine A Estacao, an International Enterprise

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to present the history of the illustrated magazine Die Modenwelt. Originally German, Die Modenwelt is very likely to be the first multinational fashion magazine in the world, since its editorial concept established a format for the publication of fashion magazines with the same pictorial content throughout the Occident. Founded by Lipperheide in Berlin (1865), Die Modenwelt was published altogether in 13 European languages and circulated in both sides of the Atlantic. For the production, distribution, and circulation of Die Modenwelt and its foreign issues, Lipperheide combined a centralized system of operation to partnerships with local editors. He took advantage of the development of the European railway web, of the transatlantic steamboat lines, of the specialization of the press and of the advancement of press techniques to multiply the number of magazines and to widen the geographic area of the magazine’s circulation. Concentrating on the German, the French (La Saison), the British (The Young Ladies’ Journal) and the Brazilian (A Estação) issues of the magazine, this chapter shows that Lipperheide’s concept of magazine, oriented by French cultural authority, brought together readers from different countries as a global audience, which was thought to aspire the same external signals of well-being and prosperity. Nevertheless, at least in the case of A Estação and The Young Ladies’ Journal, the local editions of this multinational enterprise suffered a national inflexion, to adapt itself to the specificities of the local public. One of the consequences of this local inflexion was, in the Brazilian case, the creation of a supplement literary produced locally that was sold together with the fashion part of the magazine.

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