„As long as you can walk, you're not properly dressed"

Although the so-called fashion magazines distanced themselves from politics and considered "entertainment" their main task, they had a great influence on the tastes of the reading audience. But they were not only dictating public taste in general, but also fashion. The popularity of the crinoline - known in Hungarian as the "kámvás rokolya" - which, in very simple terms, was a petticoat stiffened with horsehair. The crinoline became notorious mainly because of its size, which also influenced the development of social life. Since no more than three ladies and their crinolines could sit side by side, conversation was also restricted. At the same time, even the most mundane activities, such as getting into a carriage or walking, were a torture in the several metres of dress. So it is understandable what the somewhat piquant statement in the chapter title means (qouted from "Magyar Bazár"). In our country, with the relaxation of authoritarianism, men's and women's clothes with braids came into fashion, so much so that from the 1860s it was appropriate to wear Hungarian dress at ballrooms..

Returning to periodicals, they were usually divided into two distinct sections. The first part was devoted to fiction, the second to light, social columns, the latter sometimes as a companion, sometimes as a supplement, as the dual titles of the periodicals later reflected. The popular periodicals of the time must be thought of as a combination of a family magazine and a literary magazine. With such a wide range of subjects, it was perhaps not so difficult to contribute to the promotion of reading. Besides, the 19th century seems to have been the era of the big magazine editions. It is a curiosity that during this period, journals were able to sustain themselves from subscriptions, while at the same time the authors who published in the journals often received no fees.

From "Der Spiegel" to "Nefelejts"

The first fashion magazine, Der Spiegel, was still in German and ran from 1828 to 1852. It was the first magazine to publish the fashion appendix as we mentioned earlier. These fashion illustrations, although eye-catching, were expensive and not easy to obtain. At the same time, there was a fierce battle for the exclusive publication of the pictures and the favour of the female readers. To such an extent that Spiegel even appealed to the Governor's Council of Pest against the publication of fashion pictures in the first Hungarian-language magazine, "Regélő-Honművész", which published the same pictures as they did. The "Regélő-Honművész" was published from 1833 to 1841 and the dual title is no coincidence, as it was a sort of co-journal of the "Honművész".

A radical transformation took place at the time of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, especially with the long-lived "Pesti Hölgydivatlap", which continued to operate under the name "Budapesti Bazár" for a long time after 1873. The changes in the themes of the magazines are also evident from the titles: in the case of "Divatfutár", "Divatvilág" or "Divatcsarnok", fashion was clearly given priority over literature.

Some of the images in our selection gallery are fashion pictures from "Nefelejts", a weekly literary and artistic fashion magazine published from 1859 to 1875. It was published under the name "Divat-Nefelejts" after its merger with Divat. The firm Alter and Kiss, which appears at the bottom of the fashion pictures, was one of the best-known fashion houses in Pest. Founded in 1829 by Antal Alter and then known as Alter and Kiss from 1858, the shop made clothes for the nobility, among others. The fashion pictures of the "Budapesti Bazár" already show the Keller and Szabó fashion workshop "advertised" or the "dress-making" room of Monaszterly and Kuzmik.

The work of the Wohl sisters and the "Magyar Bazár"

The main part of the „Magyar Bazár”was the same as the German newspaper, for example, the dress- pattern pages were produced in Leipzig. In one year they published 300 pattern pages and 24 coloured Hungarian fashion pictures. The magazine also maintained close relations with the most important players in the capital's fashion industry, with the Keller and Zsitvay, Alter and Kiss companies, for example, paying for its publications. But the "discount coupon" shopping, still popular today, was not completely unknown in that era either: readers of Magyar Bazár could get a 10% discount at the fashion houses Monaszterly and Kuzmik by presenting their subscription headlines.

From 1873, the magazine was edited by the Wohl sisters, who were no strangers to the world of editorial offices, having previously been responsible for the fashion magazine "Nők Munkaköre". Janka Wohl and Stefánia Wohl were important figures in the cultural life of the 19th century capital, with János Arany, Ferenc Liszt and Mór Jókai visiting their salon. Janka originally intended to become a pianist, but her nervousness led her to devote her life to writing. Her sister Stefania translated her own writings and published in newspapers in suburbs such as The Scotsman in Edinburgh. Their father was a surgeon (or rather a barber) of Jewish descent, and the daughters were baptised into the Lutheran faith thanks to the Scottish Mission in our country at the time. They never mentioned their Jewish identity in any of their recollections, which was not unusual in the era of dualism, as the number of Jewish converts increased significantly, which can be explained by assimilation.

It is important to point out that even in their first magazine, „A Divat”, they outlined their intention to create a forum for social and cultural issues affecting women. There was financial and life advice from ladies to ladies, but also topics such as cycling, from a female perspective of course. In 1899, a legal column for women was set up, which promised guidance on, among other things, the making of contracts. It is important to note that other fashion magazines also tried to help their readers, for example the Divat Salon, edited by Janka Szabóné Nogáll, published a „Pénzügyi útmutató” with advice on the stockmarket. It is interesting to note that after the 1895 decree of Gyula Wlassics, Minister of Religion and Public Education, which finally allowed women to enter the faculties of humanities, medicine and pharmacy, Magyar Bazár regularly published short biographies and school results of Hungarian women graduates, accompanied by photographs.

Under the leadership of the Wohl sisters, Magyar Bazár became the leading Hungarian fashion magazine of the time. For Janka Wohl and Stefánia Wohl, the press was not just a livelihood, their careers were accompanied by a commitment to women's movements.

TÉ

translated by László Gönczi

Sources:

Török Zsuzsa: A Wohl-nővérek emancipációja

Mészáros Zsolt: Wohl-nővérek munkássága: irodalom, sajtó, szalon

Kovács Ferenc et al.: Fardagály és kámvás rokolya. Divat és illem a 19. században (Budapest, 2010)