Yankee Magazine Covers | 1950s

As Yankee Magazine grew in the 1950s, Robb Sagendorph found himself being asked to speak for ceremonies and events. He loved to prank his audiences, and always brought with him a whimsical, quirky attitude. Some say his favorite prank was a wind-up moth that flew from the pages of books he would read from. He was really poking fun at himself with this one, since the moth was supposed to represent his “dusty, craggly, old yankee” personality. “The plan, Jud Hale remembers, was to work for his uncle Robb Sagendorph one year, pick up some magazine experience, then head to Boston or New York for a ‘real job.’ That was in 1958.” Mel Allen, All Memories Invited, September 1985. Writer’s note: Jud Hale never left. Check out “Jud’s Journal” here.  Yankee Fun Fact: Beatrix “Trix” Sagendorph, the artist responsible for many of these covers, was instrumental to the survival of the magazine in its early years. She painted hundreds of covers from the 1930s through the 1960s, and often contributed artwork for the inside pages. Many collectors still buy posters of her artwork. Additionally, it was her family’s money that kept the publication afloat during the Great Depression. The 1950s were the first decade Yankee Magazine was published for all 10 years. Here is one cover from every year in that decade.

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