What was Sepid o Siah?

Sepid o Siah, meaning White and Black, was an Iranian weekly magazine founded in Tehran in 1953 by Ali Behzadi, then a twenty-eight-year-old journalist from Rasht. It became one of the most widely read magazines in Iran, publishing Ahmad Shamlou's criticism and serialised fiction by Hossein-Qoli Mosta'an, and ran until it was shut down after the revolution.

What is on page 43 of Sepid o Siah issue 18?

One page carries four unrelated items with no section headings between them: an embroidery pattern for a table runner from the magazine's fashion and beauty column by Parvin Haeri, a jacket and skirt pattern, a recipe for orange dessert, and a report on bantamweight weightlifting champion Ali Moftakheri breaking a national record.

Oldies but Goldies — 1 | The Arrow

Oldies but Goldies

Page 43 of Sepid o Siah magazine, Tehran — سپید و سیاه · *Sepid o Siah* (“White and Black”) · Tehran · c. 1332–1335 (1953–1957) · Year 3, Issue 18, page 43

Sepid o Siah was founded in Tehran in 1953 by Ali Behzadi, a twenty-eight-year-old journalist from Rasht. It became one of the most widely read weeklies in the country — Ahmad Shamlou wrote criticism in it, Hossein-Qoli Mosta'an serialised two stories a week in it — and it ran until it was shut down after the revolution.

This is page 43. On it: an embroidery pattern, a jacket and skirt, an orange dessert, and a national weightlifting record.

The Fashion and Beauty Salon of Sepid o Siah — by Parvin Haeri

A table runner

From now on, as the weather turns cold, you'll naturally go out less and have more time for handwork. Put those idle hours to use. Instead of the nylon table covers and stove covers that have become so popular and require no art or taste whatsoever, buy an ordinary linen cloth in a good colour and make it beautiful by stitching a few flowers and leafy branches onto it. The pattern above suits this purpose very well, and it is simple to sew — provided you use a thread in a relatively pale, soft shade.

Jacket and skirt

A jacket and skirt, well coloured and well cut, is an outfit you can wear until the middle of winter. So that you can sew it yourself and have it turn out well, we mostly give straight, loose patterns. This jacket is very easy to sew and can be cut from a simple dress pattern, as the collar needs no lapel. The skirt is quite narrow, with a single pleat at the back. Under the jacket you must wear a high-necked blouse; better still if the collar stands up.

Orange dessert

Now that oranges are plentiful, you can make a pleasant after-dinner dessert with them. Take six oranges, peel away the thin skin, then halve them so they don't fall apart…

Bantamweight weightlifting champion

Mr. Ali Moftakheri, champion of the Dariush Athletic Club, was born in 1312 in the city of Tabriz. He took up weightlifting in 1330 and was named champion in the club's internal competitions. He then took first place in the capital's inter-club championship, held at the Taj club, with a total of 285 kilograms; and first again against the Iraqi team with 292 kilograms. On the third of Azar, at the Dariush Athletic Club, before official judges of the national weightlifting federation, he broke by five kilograms the national record held by Ali Mirzaei, the world champion.

One thing worth noticing. There are no section headings on this page. Embroidery, tailoring, dessert and a broken national record simply sit beside one another, and nobody thought that needed explaining. Look closely at the weightlifter, too: he is setting a national record in a room with a picture hanging on the wall.