To everything there is a season. Thats a motto Ideals magazine took to heart. Since 1944, Ideals has celebrated all the seasons, and then some. Naturally, there have been issues devoted to Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Wintertime, but there were plenty of holidays to cover, too. Valentines Day Ideals? Check. Easter? Of course. Mothers Day, Fathers Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas? Need you ask? And there were still a myriad of other themes to explore. Over the years, Ideals issues have been dedicated to Travel, Hometowns, School, Family, Inspiration, and The Circus (just for starters.) Readers loved the unique Ideals blend of homespun poetry, heartwarming photos, and lavish illustrations. Ideals wasnt a magazine made to be tossed away after a single reading. Ideals magazine was a keepsake. The visionary behind Ideals success was Van B. Hooper. As public relations manager for Milwaukees Louis Allis Company, his responsibilities included putting together an in-house newsletter. To relieve the dreary humdrum of reports on the firms daily doings, Hooper began adding artwork, quotations, and poetry. The new and improved newsletter was a hit with Allis employees, who shared it with friends and neighbors. Soon, the company found itself fielding requests from folks outside Allis who wanted copies. In 1944, sensing a market for his one-of-a-kind publication, Hooper struck out on his own. The first issue of Ideals, dedicated to Christmas, made its debut that December. Ideals was exactly the right publication for the times. A World War II-weary nation welcomed the optimism Ideals had to offer. For just a little while, readers could escape to the halcyon days of yesteryear, or dream of brighter tomorrows. From the very beginning, Van B. Hooper knew just what he wanted his magazine to be and just what his readers needed. An Editors Note from the 1945 Christmas issue outlined that philosophy: As the name implies, these are books of clean, wholesome, old-fashioned American idealshomey philosophy, poetry, art, music, neighborlinessthings many of us may have overlooked during these busy days. Each is a truly beautiful library keepsake you will cherish and enjoy for many years. Ideals mixed the familiar with the up-and-coming. Included were poems by such durable names as Edgar A. Guest and Eugene Field, along with new material by budding authors (we welcome contributions by our reader friends). Christmas issues might include an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersens Little Match Girl, along with personal reminiscences (Christmas When I Was a Little Girl). And tying everything together were those wonderfully realized visuals. There were full-page Kodachromes, the subjects ranging from scenic splendors to aw-shucks shots of grinning babies and playful puppies. Reproductions of classic art suited to the theme were included too, plus whimsical border illustrations accompanying each poem or story. Ideals proved a springboard for many artists, most prominently George Hinke. Capable of painting anything Van B. Hooper tossed his way, Hinke became best known for his Ideals depictions of Santa Claus. Close your eyes and think of Santa. The rotund, twinkly-eyed jolly old elf who pops up owes much of his mid-20th-century styling to Hinkes artistry. Each Ideals illustration and feature had an excellence in execution that spoke to its permanence, and all for just $1.25 a copy! Nowadays, vintage Ideals sell for a bit more. Undamaged editions with intact cover laminates can range from $15-$20. Less costly reading copies are well under $10. (The possible downsides: separated cover laminate; missing artwork, if original owners clipped out and framed their favorites; or line-art illustrations that have been meticulously colored in by youthful mid-century hands.) And while eBay turns up plenty of Ideals possibilities, this is one collectible often found well-preserved at garage sales, carefully packed away for decades with other family treasures. An early subscriber wrote in thanking Ideals for scattering beauty and sunshine throughout the world. The praise still holds true. Check out a copy. The timing is ideal. Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann. All photos by Donald-Brian Johnson. Seventy-five years on, Ideals continues to be published, now on a twice-yearly seasonal basis (Easter and Christmas), by Hachette Book Group. New editions are available at most major book outlets. Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com.