Cirrus@Austlit

The Triad was founded in New Zealand in 1892 by C. N. Baeyertz (q.v.) who edited, managed, and wrote most of the magazine for its first twelve years. When Frank Morton (q.v.) joined the magazine in 1905, he became the most predominant contributor to the Triad (writing under his own name and several pseudonyms) until his death in 1923. The first Australian number of the Triad appeared in October 1915, proceeding in tandem with its New Zealand affiliate but with different volume numbering.

The Triad was subtitled 'A Journal Devoted to Literary, Pictorial, Musical and Dramatic Art', and each issue carried the magazine's mission statement: 'The Triad is fearless, and tries always to be honest. Its chief concern is to tell the truth. It may err on the side of indulgence occasionally, being human; but its criticisms are, in every case, unbiassed and impartial'. To stress its impartiality, Triad frequently advertised that it did not accept review copies of books or complimentary tickets, but Morton's view of the world gave the magazine a distinct character. In columns and reviews, he frequently attacked the 'puritanism' that he believed had become out of hand after the end of the First World War. While not always literary or artistic, Morton's topics were drawn from all of the arts identified in the magazine's subtitle and contributions were written for a general readership rather than for a narrow literary or artistic audience.

In addition to Morton's contributions, the work of many other Australian writers was published in the Triad. Contributors included Hugh McCrae, Kenneth Slessor, Furnley Maurice, Ethel Anderson, Randolph Bedford, Will Lawson, Mary Gilmore, Louis Esson, and Cecil Mann (qq.v.).

During 1925, L. L. Woolacott (q.v.) was appointed associate editor. By October, he had taken over the editorship and Baeyertz took on a managerial role. Baeyertz sold the Triad to Art in Australia Ltd in the last months of 1926, and Woolacott was retained as editor. But under Woolacott, the Triad was in decline, producing consistent financial losses.

Relieving the strain on Art in Australia Ltd, Ernest Watt (q.v.) , a director of the company, bought the Triad in March 1927. He took the magazine in a different direction, renaming it the New Triad and appointing Hugh McCrae and himself as editors. The first number of the New Triad appeared in August 1927. The new look magazine included articles on motoring, horse racing, society, and lawn tennis. It also offered regular competitions, crosswords, and a more professional layout, bringing it close to the standard of Home and Art in Australia. Literary contributors to the New Triad included Louis Esson, R. D. FitzGerald, Hugh McCrae, Vance Palmer, Dora Wilcox, David McKee Wright, and Les Robinson (qq.v.). But, despite the change in format, the New Triad did not last a year. Its last number appeared in July 1928.

The first issue of the Home appeared in February 1920. Published by Art in Australia Ltd, the Home was aimed at the Australian market of middle-class women readers to help underwrite the publication of Art in Australia and other publishing projects. Initially produced by a team of editors, including Sydney Ure Smith (art editor), Bertram Stevens (literary editor) and Julia Lister (fashion editor), the Home suffered early losses, but strengthened to provide the financial stability required by Art in Australia Ltd.

The Home is widely admired for its role in the development of graphic art and advertising in Australian magazines, particularly the influence of its magazine covers. Often proclaiming to be 'modern', the magazine did not, however, embrace all contemporary developments in modern art, rejecting techniques such as cubism, futurism and surrealism. Nevertheless, discussion of modern technology and architecture, and the magazine's role in advertising and cover art gave the magazine a very modern appearance for its time.

Combined with Sydney Ure Smith's advertising connections, the Home and Art in Australia developed a significant network of associates in graphic arts, advertising, printing and publishing. Seizing on this potential, the magazine was bought (with Art in Australia) by the Fairfax press in 1934 to challenge magazines such as Vogue and Fashion and Society. Ure Smith and Leon Gellert were retained as editors, but after the magazines failed to live up to Fairfax's expectations, Ure Smith retired to pursue other projects. Gellert remained as editor until the Home ceased publication in 1942.

While not often recognised for its literary content, the Home published the work of many of Australia's leading writers. Contributors included Dorothea Mackellar, Furnley Maurice, Nettie Palmer, Norman Lindsay, Lionel Lindsay, Joan Lindsay, Kenneth Slessor, Mary Gilmore, Arthur Adams and David Unaipon. Katharine Susannah Prichard's novel The Wild Oats of Han was serialised in Home during 1926 and 1927. The magazine also printed articles on a number of Australian writers and artists, including Norman Lindsay, Barbara Baynton, Will Dyson, George Lambert, Margaret Preston and Hans Heysen.

In 1939, Sydney Ure Smith had recently retired as editor of Art in Australia and the Home, magazines he had co-founded in 1916 and 1920, respectively, and sold to the Fairfax press in 1934. After establishing a new company, Ure Smith Pty Publications, he began a number of projects, including a new magazine, Australia: National Journal.

With this new magazine, Ure Smith aimed to 'give expression to [Australia's]progress in Art, Architecture and Industry'. His previous magazines were admired for their developments in the reproduction of graphic art, and architecture had become a prominent feature of Art in Australia. With an additional focus on industry, Ure Smith's new magazine engaged with the progress of the modern world, but as with its predecessors, contemporary artistic movements such as futurism and surrealism were largely ignored.

By the early 1940s, the Second World War influenced the production and content of the magazine in a number of ways. Articles on industrial topics often focused on defence projects and advertisements used military images to promote many products, including paint, light globes and bank accounts. Responding to calls from the federal government, intranational travel was also promoted in the magazine with many advertisements and regular travel articles on Australian destinations. News from the front lines and biographies of prominent military figures featured with many photographs of military life. Furthermore, war-time paper rationing resulted in a smaller magazine than the issues of 1939-40, and the quality of the printing also declined. Nevertheless, throughout the war years Australia: National Journal maintained regular sections on the cinema, social happenings fashion and the theatre with photographs of Australian life from the beach to the bush.

Australia: National Journal attracted contributions from a different group of writers than Ure Smith's previous publications. Although occasional contributions were received from Hugh McCrae, Norman Lindsay and Lionel Lindsay, a new group of writers were employed, including Allan Aldous, Marjorie Barnard, Jon Cleary, Charmian Clift, Eleanor Dark, Frank Dalby Davison, Mary Finnin, Donald Friend, Eric Irvin, Alan Marshall, Myra Morris, D'Arcy Niland and Ruth Park.