I shared with you last week, some of my vintage LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon) magazines from the early part of the 20th century. Today, I have a collection of Children's Friend magazines from the 1930s and 1940s. The Children's Friend was the Church's publication for children, leaders and teachers. Today, it is called the Friend, and is one of the longest lasting publications in the USA. We always had the Children's Friend in our home growing up, and I remember it from even before I was old enough to read, since my older siblings had their copies. Later, when I became a professional illustrator, my first illustrations were published in the Friend, and I have contributed illustrations as recently as five years ago. So, it's always had a warm spot in my heart.
Typical of children's magazines of the era, the Children's Friend was filled with stories, puzzles, activities, arts and crafts, and photos of children far and wide, participating in church activities. Next week I'll share with you my collection of Children's Friend magazines from the 1950s and '60s.
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| For those of you who are LDS, you will note a photo and name of Mildred T. Pettit on the left photo on the page above: she is the composer of the children's song, "I Am a Child of God". |
Hi There Collector! My Father in Law had a drawing in the Children's Friend in the 1940s sometime. We would love to be able to give him a copy or even a photocopy of his drawing and share it with the rest of his family for a Family History keepsake. Any suggestions on where to find old copies like these? I was surprised they are not on the Church's website.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, all of my copies of the Friend are in storage 3000 miles away, or I'd be happy to search for you! However, that said, there's really no simple way to get the back issue of the Children's Friend that you are hoping for. I found most of my old copies at one of three places (I don't live in Utah, but every time I go, I search these places:) Deseret Industries (they are sometimes found in the collectibles section, but that's not my first choice). The best DIs are found in Salt Lake, Provo, and perhaps Logan. I haven't had good luck at DI in American Fork, or some of the other, smaller locations. The second place you might try is an antique store in SLC called Capital City Antique Mall. It's located at 959 West Temple right where the 9th South exit from the NB I-15 ends. Another good place to try is the Sandy Antique Mall, at 8672 South State in Sandy. Both of those places have had old Children's Friend magazines in the past, but I can't guarantee they will have them now. Good luck with your hunt!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the search tips. I spend very little time Utah, but maybe I can differ the task to family living there. I read through your other posts and got a kick out of your South Pasadena Jr High School post. My father in law grew up in Alhambra in the 1940s. I am trying to get him to check out your pictures. Thank you for the postings!
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