有關報刊史的研究，過去多以分析文字報刊為主，畫報的論析較被忽略。若能從畫報的角度探討，將會發現與文字報刊不盡相同的圖景。
就畫報的發展而言，上海發生過兩次畫報潮，第一次由1884年創辦之《點石齋畫報》引起，第二次則由1926年之《良友畫報》所帶動，並且在一九三○年代形成風潮。《點石齋畫報》為石印畫報，聘請畫師手繪印製而成。在網目照相版技術引進中國之後，攝影圖片取代繪畫圖片，《良友畫報》即採用攝影技術，以大量的照片呈現內容。由於攝影無法拍攝詭譎神怪的情景，因此雖然仍以獵奇作為編輯的基本主軸，但在相當程度上轉變了畫報的內涵。攝影類畫報除了沿襲清末以來石印畫報報導新奇事物的特色之外，還有承襲文字報刊的哪些面向呢？承襲之後又有哪些轉化性的創新呢？這些創新對於當時讀者來說，具有何種意義呢？換句話說，對讀者而言，和文字報相較，畫報到底被定位為何種類型的讀物？而以「獵奇」為主軸的編輯方式，對讀者產生什麼樣的閱讀感受？這類屬於閱讀史(History of Reading)範圍的問題，是為本文撰寫的初衷。
本文首先從《良友畫報》引發的風潮中出現之畫報史回顧作品著手，闈述這些畫報史作品的寫作手法，及其所蘊涵之預設，進而探索在此預設背後對「畫報」這個形式的界定。當代學者多根據這些畫報史回顧作品，討論中國第一份畫報為何，或按照其分類方式進行討論。本節的目的即在於對此種研究取徑作一反思，以求避免跟隨其後見之明，並藉此探討當時讀者對於「畫報」的觀感與定位。
本文第三節主要在討論《良友畫報》的出版機構－良友圖書印刷公司，以期能獲得整體性的瞭解。本節並非僅僅描述良友圖書公司的建置而已，而是將上海書業龍頭商務印書館與良友圖書印刷公司作一比較，討論該公司如何在民初以來唯有出版教科書才能生存的上海書業中，突破既有的窠臼，開創以出版畫報為方向之全新風格，深化上述一九三○年代對「畫報」體裁所抱持的看法，揭示良友圖書印刷公司對於消閑閱讀習慣的推廣，實具有不可忽視的影響力。本文第四節討論自明代以來的消閑閱讀風氣，主要討論晚清李伯元《遊戲報》擴大此風氣的影響力，進而被一九一○至二○年代盛行的小報潮負面化之際，《良友畫報》如何扭轉當時人對消閑閱讀的惡評，確立消閑閱讀習慣的正面意義。

Past research on journalism has mostly focused on text-based press, while the role of pictorials continue to be overlooked. The perspective of pictorials may lead to a different view from the text-based press.
In the history of pictorials, two pictorial tides surged in Shanghai; the first was initiated by Dianshizhai Pictorial that was founded in 1884, the second was driven by Young Companion (Liangyou) Pictorial in 1926. Dianshizhai Pictorial was hand-illustrated by painters and printed by the technology of lithography. After the process of photoengraving was introduced to China, photographs replaced paintings. Young Companion Pictorial adopted this technology and presented with a large amount of photographs. Since photographs were unable to capture imaginary or quixotic scenes which had been the basic theme in lithographic pictorials, the contents of photographic pictorials were explicitly different from lithographic ones. In addition, many aspects of the text-based press, particularly tabloids, adopted photographic pictorials as well.
Photographic pictorials adopted features of lithographic pictorials and text-based press, thus pictorial evolved into a form of media distinct from the newspaper and tabloid where words predominate. This paper examines the manner in which pictorials were defined, and how the readers perceived the novel pictorials themes.
This paper first examines the writings of ”pictorial history” which emerged during the second pictorial tide typified by success of the Young Companion Pictorial. By delving into the presumptions behind this trend, it probes into the definition of ”pictorial.” Research on pictorials is mostly based on the periodization of the pictorials in the writings of ”pictorial history” to investigate which pictorial is the first one in modem China. The purpose of this section is to reflect on this kind of research approach so as to prevent following the same perspective and investigate how contemporary readers characterize ”pictorial” as a specific mode of press.
Section 3 focuses on Young Companion Publishing House. This section not only depicts the establishment of this company, but also compares it to the leading publishing house, the Commercial Press, in Shanghai, so as to investigate how Young Companion Publishing House achieved a breakthrough in the publishing industry in Shanghai, where previously only the publishing of textbooks survived, and initiated a new publishing style with pictorials. The purpose of this section is to elaborate on the pictorial as a specific mode of press in 1930s discussed in section 2, and reveals the significant influence of Young Companion Publishing House on promoting the leisure reading atmosphere.
Section 4 investigates how Young Companion Pictorial changed the negative comments of the public on leisure reading due to the influence of the tabloid trend from 1910s to 1920s, and thus established positive meaning of leisure reading atmosphere.