The Hobby Directory
 The cover of a 1948 issue of The Hobby Directory | |
| Editor | F. W. Ewing |
|---|---|
| First issue | 1946 |
| Final issue | circa 1952[a] |
| Based in | Orange, New Jersey |
The Hobby Directory was an American periodical published by Francis Willard Ewing from 1946 until the early 1950s. Ostensibly intended to connect men and boys with shared interests, it became popular among gay men who used the magazine to post covert personal advertisements at a time when homosexuality was socially taboo and legally proscribed.
Publication
The Hobby Directory was founded in 1946 by Francis Willard Ewing (1896–1984),[3] a New Jersey high school teacher.[4] It was the official publication of the National Association of Hobbyists for Men and Boys.[5] The magazine was sold openly, including at craft stores.[5]
Historian David K. Johnson observes that one of the magazine's last known issues was published in 1951, and speculates that it may have ceased publication following a "police crackdown", at a time when US authorities were vigorously enforcing the Comstock laws' prohibition against sending obscene material through the mail.[1]
Contents
The Directory described its mission as being "to help its members find hobby friends".[5] The typewritten magazine consisted entirely of classified ads.[5] In a typical ad, members would list their age, location, occupation, and hobbies or interests, such as model trains, particular genres of music, or rock collecting. Members would also indicate what sort of correspondence they sought from others using the initialism "C.D." for "Contact Desired".
Gay audience
The magazine was notably exploited by gay men seeking to connect with other gay men, to the point that writer Daniel Harris describes it as "little more than a bizarre dating service".[5] Unable to advertise their desires openly, gay men used coded references to interests such as physical culture, sunbathing, ballet, or wrestling.
It is unknown whether Ewing intended to cater to gay men, or the degree to which he was aware of the magazine's large gay audience. Michael Waters notes that Ewing apparently had a genuine zeal for hobbies, given that, more than a decade before the magazine's debut, he had founded a student hobbyist club at the high school at which he taught.[4] As evidence of Ewing's complicity, some scholars have pointed to a notice printed by Ewing in a 1951 issue in which he chastised members for lying about their age, deceiving younger members who wished to correspond only with members of similar ages for purposes such as sharing "photos of young men in service uniforms" or "memorabilia related to boys famous in history".[5][4]
David K. Johnson views later issues of The Hobby Directory as increasingly coming to resemble the physique magazines which were becoming increasingly popular among gay men. Later issues of the Directory would include photos of members, and "cover art featuing naked boys seen from behind".[1]
Notes
- ^ David K. Johnson describes a 1951 issue as one of the last known.[1] The latest copy in the archives of the GLBT Historical Society is from March 1952.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Johnson, David K. (2019). Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement (eBook ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0-231-54817-5.
- ^ "GLBT Historical Society Archives - Periodicals" (PDF). January 2019.
- ^ Black, Joanna (2018). "Pioneering Periodicals (1940s-1950s)". Google Arts & Culture.
- ^ a b c Waters, Michael (9 February 2021). "Hiding in plain sight". Columbia Journalism Review.
- ^ a b c d e f Harris, Daniel (1997). "Personals". The Antioch Review.