Monocle magazine (late ’50s and early ’60s) was deliberately anti-mainstream, using satirical commentary to redefine how political critique could be delivered in the USA.
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Poking fun at both sides of the isle, the magazine’s satiric fake news had it’s finger on the pulse of what’s to come.
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Monocle started off as a stapled pamphlet created by a group of Yale Law School students, and it quickly evolved into a bound magazine under the editorial direction of co-founder Victor Navasky. Its mission was to challenge the “pieties” of the day through lampoon and parody – an approach rarely seen in print at the time.
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For example, it showcased the first African-American superhero, “Captain Melanin,” and the C.I.A operative, “Roger Ruthless,” among other illustrated characters and commentaries that reflected the magazine’s political bite and editorial edge.
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Monocle was published irregularly and only in response to particular events, or as Navasky once put it, “We operated more or less like the UN police force – we came out whenever there was an emergency.”
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Beyond its sharp wit, which inspired other publications to adopt a similar style, Monocle also served as a springboard for writers, illustrators, and cartoonists who kicked off their careers by contributing their work to the magazine, and went on to achieve lasting recognition.
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The Château Cramirat Collection is a treasure trove of art and design by philosopher of science Anna Ravitzki and designer Dan Alexander, housed in a 12th-century Templar landmark in the Valley of Mankind, Périgord, France.
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Navasky, Victor S. (editor). Monocle, Volume 6, Number 1 and 2. New York: Monocle Periodicals, 1964.
Navasky, Bryan CDB, et al (editors). Monocle, Volume 6, Number 5 and 6. New York: Monocle Periodicals, 1964.
