The history of magazine publishing tends to be captured in the covers and content from golden ages. One thinks of the 1990s: a pregnant and naked Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair; Britney Spears in pajamas on Rolling Stone; and a smiling, posthumous Diana selling more than three million copies of People’s September 1997 issue. Then there’s the 1930s: photojournalism took wing in Life; The Saturday Evening Post became synonymous with the illustrations of Norman Rockwell; and Vogue did serious reporting on the Second World War. Print media, however, was around well before the 30s. The first successful magazine, called The American Magazine, was founded in 1744. And the first printed statement of American independence appeared in Pennsylvania Magazine in June of 1776. Through 200 rare and unique magazines, this exhibition offers the definitive story of magazines in America. —J.V.