Chesterfields Sundial Dress - 1940

This is the back cover of the May, 1940 issue of The Progressive Farmer and Southern Ruralist magazine. It shows the charming Miss Elaine Shepard in Chesterfield's Sundial Dress. It seems she went on to more important things, but she sure did right by this dress, imagine posing with this massive dress, that also massive hat, the huge bouquet and then smoking a Chesterfield and looking like you enjoy it! A model's life wasn't all glamour.

Mail Order Patterns from The Progressive Farmer - 1940

Here are some of the patterns you could order from The Progressive Farmer and Southern Ruralist in 1940. They range from baby clothes, to practical maternity dresses and even a truly lovely 'graduation frock'. There is an emphasis on cotton because this was basically a farmers magazine and cotton crops were very important, there are several mentions of the need for everyone to have a cotton mattress.
There is speculation that most of the mail order patterns all came from one company, but I don't think we really know. If you have more information please share. Also if anybody knows more about Lillian L. Keller who worked for the Tennessee Extension Service, she seems to have been a clever gal indeed!