The American Girl was the official magazine of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Originally titled The Rally, it was founded, in 1917, about 5 years after the organization itself. It lasted until 1979.
The early issues contained the kind of content familiar to anyone who has received a newsletter from a national organization: chapter news, national campaigns, motivational articles, and the like.
The title change came in June 1920 and with it an increased page count and additional material beyond just scouting news. This also began a transformation from a newsletter to a magazine that doubled as a recruiting tool. In 1923 the publishers announced their intention to create “a magazine that will appeal more and more to our friends who are not Scouts — or, not yet Scouts, shall we say?” “It will be a great day for us when The American Girl takes her place proudly on the newsstands with all the other big grown-up magazines,” they proclaimed.
Fiction arrived as part of the additional materials, both as short stories and serials. With the fiction came illustrations, usually just one or two for each story or installment. Franké was a regular contributor for about three years starting with the January 1921 issue.
Resources
- Girl Scouts of the USA accessed 10 August 2022
- “Our New Name,” The American Girl, June 1920, National Headquarters Girl Scouts, Inc.
- “New Year Resolutions,” The American Girl, January 1923, National Headquarters Girl Scouts, Inc.
The Art of Joseph Franké 