1931-1960 Sears Catalog Covers

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1898-1930 | 1931-1960 | 1961-1993

The 1943 Sears News Graphic wrote that the Sears catalog, “serves as a mirror of our times, recording for future historians today’s desires, habits, customs, and mode of living.”

In addition to recording the changing scene in America, the Sears catalogs represent the work and efforts of thousands of Americans. Edgar Rice Burroughs, who later wrote the Tarzan series, worked for Sears. Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, Gloria Swanson, Susan Dey, Cheryl Tiegs, and Stephanie Powers all appeared on the pages of Sears catalogs as models. The catalogs also featured Roy Rodgers, Ted Williams, Al Unser, and Gene Autry. Because the catalogs accurately reflect the styles and furnishings popular through the years, producers of Broadway shows and Hollywood movies frequently refer to them.

Sears issued only two major catalogs (Big Books) per year. In order to keep the collection a reasonable size, only one book per year was chosen for this collection. Also the basic design of the cover for the first few years were virtually identical, so those redundancies were not included either.

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Spring 1931, Catalog No. 162E
Spring 1932, Catalog No. 164H Second of Two Norman Rockwell Covers. This painting was titled, “At Work on his Washington Essay” which was made for the Washington Bicentennial.

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Spring 1933, Catalog No. 166L
Spring 1934, Catalog No. 168E—Watercolor by Hilda Belcher (1881-1963), who was the second woman to be accepted into the National Academy of Design in NYC.

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