Digitization of McCall's Needlework Magazines

If you've watched my YouTube channel, you're likely familiar with my love of McCall's Needlework Magazines. Initially, this came about because this is where Virginia Woods Bellamy initially had her Number Knitting ideas and patterns featured. So I began tracking down the specific issues dealing with this. 

Another history lover, Leigh from Something Under the Bed, has a massive online bibliography of thousands of crafting magazines, a project which she has been working on continuously since 2003. She even has an entire page dedicated to McCall's Needlework. It was from her website that I developed my initial list of issues which I started gathering physical copies for my own collection and research efforts.

I had wondered why no other historian had digitized these magazines, but after my copies began arriving, I understood why. Each issue measures 10.75" x 13.5", which is larger than a typical flatbed scanner. I decided that if no other historians were going to digitize this part of American history, then I should take off the effort and do it myself. So I bought a large format flatbed scanner!

As of the initial date of this post, I have approximately 24 issues of McCall's Needlework. There are at least one of two duplicates in there, as some of the issues were bought as lots on ebay.

 NAME  Purchased  Scanned
 McCall's Needlework Spring/Summer 1942  X  
 McCall's Needlework Summer 1942  X  
 McCall Needlework Winter 1942-43 X  
 McCall's Needlework SWinter 1942-43  X  
 McCall's Needlework Summer 1944  X  X
 McCall Needlework Winter 1944-45 X  
 McCall's Needlework Summer 1945    
 McCall's Needlework Fall/Winter 1945-46
P 27-28 have a missing section)
 X in progress,
through page 52
 McCall's Needlework Summer 1946  X  
 McCall's Needlework Fall/Winter 1946-47  X  X
 McCall Needlework Winter 1947-48 X  
 McCall's Needlework Summer 1948  X  
 McCall's Needlework Summer 1949  X  X
 McCall's Needlework Winter 1950  X  
 McCall's Needlework Spring-Summer 1953  X  
 McCall's Needlework Fall-Winter 1953-54  X  
 McCall's Needlework Spring-Summer 1956  X  
 McCall's Needlework Spring-Summer 1965  X  
 McCall's Needlework Fall-Winter 1971-72  X  

 

I'll update this list as I progress. I plan on making these available for public consumption, but I need to check with the US copyright office (probably to the tune of $400) to ensure that the copyright has expired.

Reviews (1 comment)

  • Jessica-Jean On

    No review, but a suggestion. Before paying to track down copyright, have you checked with the folks at the Antique Pattern Library? http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/

    They seem to have some already: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.antiquepatternlibrary.org+McCall%92s+Needlework+&qfront=McCall%92s+Needlework+

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