Der Bazar

Der Bazar
Cover page of Der Bazar dated 1856
Categories
Frequency
  • Biweekly (December 1854–January 1857)
  • Weekly (January 1857–1933)
PublisherLouis Schäfer publishing company
Founded1854
First issue10 December 1854
Final issue1933
CountryGerman Empire
Based inBerlin
LanguageGerman

Der Bazar was a fashion magazine which was published in Berlin, German Empire, in the period 1854–1933. Its subtitle was first Technische Muster-Zeitung für Frauen. Then it was changed to Illustrirte Damen-Zeitung (Illustrated Women's Magazine) from 1 January 1857. It is one of the earliest examples of a multilingual magazine.

History and profile

Der Bazar was launched on 10 December 1854 as a biweekly magazine and was based in Berlin. Its publisher was owned by Louis Schäfer. However, it was Antonie von Cosmar who suggested establishing Der Bazar. She was a playwright and novelist. From 1857 the magazine was redesigned, and its subtitle was modified, and the frequency was switched to weekly. Der Bazar folded in 1933.

Content

The magazine covered fashion-related news and illustrations, as well as suggestions to retailers on methods of selling clothes to women. Der Bazar featured illustrations of ballroom outfits as clothing advice to its readers in its first January issue every year. The magazine also published articles on cosmopolitan lifestyles, home life and aesthetics.

Editions and circulation

Der Bazar enjoyed international readership and had editions in other languages. By 1863, in addition to 105,000 copies in German annually, it sold 50,000 copies in English, 32,000 in French and 15,000 in Spanish. The magazine also published editions in Dutch, Russian, Italian, Hungarian and Czech, and claimed to be the most widespread journal in the world with a circulation of over half a million. By 1891 it was the best-selling women’s fashion and home magazine in Germany, targeting primarily middle to upper class women.

Der Bazar had many international editions and inspired many women's magazines. The most notable international edition is Harper's Bazaar, it began publication 1867 and has over 30 international editions. It is the only operating edition of Der Bazar. Other international editions include: Dutch De Gracieuse [nl] (1864), La Mode Illustrée (1860–1937, Paris), Magyar Bazár (1866–1904, Austriahungary), Новый русский базар [Novyi russkii bazar] (1867–1898, Saint Petersburg). In the Kingdom of Bohemia, Bazar was published as a fashion supplement to Květy [cs] (1865–1872) and Světozor (1872–1899).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Marianne Van Remoortel (2017). "Women Editors and the Rise of the Illustrated Fashion Press in the Nineteenth Century". Nineteenth-Century Contexts. 39 (4): 269–295. doi:10.1080/08905495.2017.1335157. hdl:1854/LU-8518574. S2CID 220356178.
  2. 1 2 Ruxandra Marcu Looft (August 2012). Mobile Ideas and (Im)mobile Subjects: Women Writers and Women's Fashion Magazines in Nineteenth-Century Germany and Austria (Thesis). Washington University in St. Louis. pp. 3–5. doi:10.7936/K73J3B2V.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ruxandra Looft (Winter 2017). "Unseen Political Spaces: Gender and Nationhood in the Berlin and Paris Fashion Press during the Franco-Prussian War". Journal of European Periodical Studies. 2 (2): 46–48. doi:10.21825/jeps.v2i2.4812.
  4. 1 2 Marianne Van Remoorte (2021). "Scissors, paste, and the female editor: the making of the Dutch women's magazine De Gracieuse (1862–64)". Women's History Review. 30 (4): 555–573. doi:10.1080/09612025.2020.1773041. hdl:1854/LU-8669739. S2CID 219926334.
  5. 1 2 Philipp Jonke (2021). "Off the Rack. The Production of Fashionable Female Bodies in Early 20th Century Berlin". Trajectories. 14. doi:10.4000/trajectoires.5983. S2CID 237879658.
  6. ↑ Hutchinson, Peter. "American Magazines Before 1900: A Publisher's History" (PDF). Thinking Periodically. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Van Remoortel, Marianne (2 June 2017). "Women Editors and the Rise of the Illustrated Fashion Press in the Nineteenth Century". Nineteenth-Century Contexts: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 39 (4). Routledge: 269–295. Retrieved 21 June 2026 – via Taylor & Francis.
  8. ↑ Pearl, Diana (26 September 2022). "Harper's Bazaar to Launch French Edition". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Van Remoortel, Marianne (4 June 2020). "Scissors, paste, and the female editor: the making of the Dutch women's magazine De Gracieuse (1862–64)". Women's History Review. 30 (4). Taylor & Francis: 555–573 – via Taylor & Francis.