About the Saturday Evening Post

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By Kim Kenney
eHow Contributing Writer

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The "Saturday Evening Post" is one of the oldest publications in America. Its predecessor, Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, was first published in 1728. In 1821 it became known as the "Saturday Evening Post." Over the years the "Post's" readership grew to 3,000,000 readers a year.

Original Publication

The first issues of the "Post" were only four pages long and contained no illustrations.

New Look

Cyrus H. K. Curtis, founder of the "Ladies Home Journal," purchased the "Post" in 1897 and transformed it into a modern publication.

Cover Art

Curtis hired editor George Horace Lorimer, who made the decision to place artwork on the first page of the magazine rather than treating it like the front page of a newspaper.

Norman Rockwell

One of the "Post's" most popular cover artists was Norman Rockwell. He created over 300 covers during his career.

Decline

With television's growing popularity in the 1950s, magazines and newspapers began to see a decline in readership. The "Post" stopped printing in 1969.

Revival

In 1971 the "Post" was resurrected by the Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, which became the Saturday Evening Post Society in 1976. The group still publishes the "Post" today.