The Studio magazine was founded by Charles Holmes as an informative monthly periodical on contemporary fine and decorative art. First published in April 1893 (price: 6d), The Studio always had an extensive readership which included the UK, Europe and North America in particular. It initially started out by championing contemporary art and design movements. It was a firm believer in the Arts & Crafts philosophy, as well as the ideals of the Art Nouveau movement, two styles that were not always happy being in each others company. The Studio produced a number of special features whereby an issue would be entirely devoted to a specific subject. For example, a 1901 issue entitled ‘Modern British Domestic Architecture and Decoration’ featured Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of designers. The publicity generated by the magazine helped to familiarise the Glasgow movement throughout Europe, but particularly within Austria-Hungary and Germany, where subscription to The Studio was relatively high. The magazine did much to help establish Arts & Crafts organisations within Europe. It was a particular lifeline for many of the subject nations, such as Finland, Norway and Poland, which had no legitimate representation, apart from articles published within magazines like The Studio, which highlighted the ethnic traditions of these cultures. In 1911 for example, The Studio devoted a whole issue to peasant art in Austria and Hungary, which helped to expand the knowledge of the outside world to the many cultures that made up the multi-ethnic patchwork quilt that was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Studio also highlighted and helped to promote a number of artists, designers and decorative styles, throughout its life. It championed Aubrey Beardsley and commissioned the artist to produce the first cover of the magazine in 1893. It also had regular features promoting anything from nineteenth century Japanese prints to North American Studio pottery. From 1906 onwards, the magazine published an annual summary of all the best in contemporary architecture, interior design and decoration. The Decorative Art Annual, or Decorative Art in Modern Interiors as it was renamed in the mid-1960s, championed all the major design movements of the twentieth century, from Art Nouveau, through to Art Deco, Modernism and post-war design. In the later 20th century the annuals gave increasing prominence to architecture and interior design. This continued until the magazine folded in 1980. The annuals are now published as decade themed books by the publisher Taschen. It is hard to appreciate today what an impact The Studio magazine had on large sections of the art and design world, particularly within the first couple of decades of its life. It was a lifeline to many and helped to widen both interest and understanding of the major contemporary art and design movements of the 20th century in both Europe and North America. The following passage from Nevile Shute’s 1927 novel So Disdained captures the nature of the magazine and the influence it had on at the time: ‘Lord Arner had in his library all the bound volumes of Studio since the beginning. When he was worried or upset over anything he used to go in there and sit down beside the fire, and turn these volumes over slowly. When he came to a picture that he liked he would sit staring at it for a long time without moving. He liked water-colour reproductions best, I think, and especially garden sketches, water colours of herbaceous borders, and paintings with delicate, bright colours. Sometimes he would pass the heavy volume across when he found a drawing that he particularly admired.’