150 YEARS OF BAZAAR WOMEN

We chart how the visionary female editors of BAZAAR's past continue to inspire our future.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

We chart how the visionary female editors of BAZAAR's past continue to inspire our future.

From left: The cover of the first issue. A colour illustration by Héloïse Leloir from the debut issue of Harper’s Bazar, November 2, 1867. The April 7, 1888, issue, which featured the first photographed model to appear on the cover. OPPOSITE: BAZAAR covers across the years
From left: The cover of the first issue. A colour illustration by Héloïse Leloir from the debut issue of Harper’s Bazar, November 2, 1867. The April 7, 1888, issue, which featured the first photographed model to appear on the cover. OPPOSITE: BAZAAR covers across the years
MARY BOOTH
Editor, 1867–1889
The founding editor of Harper’s BAZAR (as it was known until it changed to the contemporary spelling in 1929) was a leading intellectual, famous for her translations of eminent French authors during the American Civil War, written in support of the cause of the Union. Booth, born in New York in 1831, also campaigned against slavery and for women’s right to vote, while her commitment to literary excellence saw her publishing the greatest 19th-century novelists and poets in BAZAR. She died in 1889 at the age of 57.
From left: The cover of the Christmas 1894 issue. The cover of the Thanksgiving 1896 issue. The cover of the March 28, 1896, issue, illustrated by William H. Bradley. The March 14, 1896, cover, illustrated by Harry Whitney McVickar.
From left: The cover of the Christmas 1894 issue. The cover of the Thanksgiving 1896 issue. The cover of the March 28, 1896, issue, illustrated by William H. Bradley. The March 14, 1896, cover, illustrated by Harry Whitney McVickar.
MARGARET SANGSTER
Editor, 1889–1899
Sangster wrote religious poetry and hymns throughout her time as editor of BAZAR, as well as pious stories for children. She brought the same serious-mindedness to her editorship as she had to her career as an author: The role of editor, she observed, required “concentration, consecration and tireless energy.” Sangster’s era included the serialised publication of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles in 1891; while another of her most notable issues, in March 1896, was devoted to the subject of bicycling for women, as a means of promoting female independence.
From top: Covers created during Elizabeth Jordan’s editorship featuring the work of various illustrators
From top: Covers created during Elizabeth Jordan’s editorship featuring the work of various illustrators
ELIZABETH JORDAN
Editor, 1900–1913
Born in Wisconsin in 1865, Jordan began her career in journalism as the women’s-page editor of a local newspaper in her hometown, Milwaukee. In 1890, she moved to New York, where she made her name as a reporter covering high-profile murder trials, and for a series of articles about life in the city’s tenement slums. Her commitment to social justice was matched by her campaigning for the suffragette cause; all of which she juggled with writing fiction and, from 1900 onwards, her editorship of Harper’s BAZAR. During her tenure, Jordan changed it from a weekly to a monthly magazine, and organised the publication of The Whole Family, a serialised novel where each of the 12 chapters was written by a different author (including one by her friend Henry James). Jordan’s BAZAR was widely admired for its literary brilliance as well as the beauty of its Art Nouveau covers.
This page and opposite: Covers and pages from Carmel Snow’s era, including work by A.M. Cassandre, Herbert Bayer, Jean Cocteau, Ernst Beadle and George Hoyningen-Huene
This page and opposite: Covers and pages from Carmel Snow’s era, including work by A.M. Cassandre, Herbert Bayer, Jean Cocteau, Ernst Beadle and George Hoyningen-Huene
CARMEL SNOW
Fashion Editor, US BAZAAR, 1932–1934; Editor, 1934–1957
BAZAAR’S longest-serving editor—and still the most influential, with an aesthetic that remains appealing today—was the Irishborn Carmel Snow. By the time she was appointed, a series of male editors had been at the helm of BAZAAR for more than two decades; she brought a more feminine sensibility to the pages—declaring that BAZAAR was “for the well-dressed woman with a well-dressed mind”—but also introduced the bold design of Alexey Brodovitch, a brilliant Russian art director.
During her reign, Snow nurtured a new generation of photographers, including Richard Avedon, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Lillian Bassman; showcased art by Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Andy Warhol; and published the writing of W.H. Auden and Truman Capote. A fervent supporter of Christian Dior, she coined the phrase the “New Look” for his debut collection in 1947. She also championed Chanel, Schiaparelli and Balenciaga, while always holding true to her own motto: “Elegance is good taste plus a dash of daring.”
Clockwise from top left: Lauren Bacall on the cover of the March 1943 issue, shot by Louise Dahl-Wolfe. The September 1958 issue, shot by Richard Avedon. The June 1954 cover by Lillian Bassman. An Avedon cover, from December 1958. A cover shot by Richard Avedon, from June 1951. A Leslie Gill cover from November 1956.
Clockwise from top left: Lauren Bacall on the cover of the March 1943 issue, shot by Louise Dahl-Wolfe. The September 1958 issue, shot by Richard Avedon. The June 1954 cover by Lillian Bassman. An Avedon cover, from December 1958. A cover shot by Richard Avedon, from June 1951. A Leslie Gill cover from November 1956.
DIANA VREELAND
Fashion Editor, US BAZAAR, 1936–1962
Legend has it that the moment Carmel Snow spotted Diana Vreeland, dancing at the St. Regis hotel in New York in a lace Chanel dress, she offered her a job at BAZAAR. Vreeland, who was 33 at the time, had never worked before; but Snow’s instincts were proven right. Vreeland’s distinctive personal style would translate into an outstanding career, during which she transformed the idea of why we get dressed, with a playfully imaginative take on the art of fashion. Her love of literature, ballet and art gave creative impetus to her stories at BAZAAR, where she formed a close working relationship with Louise DahlWolfe and Richard Avedon. “Diana lived for imagination ruled by discipline,” observed Avedon in later life; while Vreeland’s collaboration with Dahl-Wolfe came to embody BAZAAR’S pioneering spirit, producing stores that leapt off the page with a sense of adventure and freedom.
Clockwise from left: The James Moore cover of 1966. The April 1965 cover, photographed by Richard Avedon. A 1965 cover by Richard Avedon
Clockwise from left: The James Moore cover of 1966. The April 1965 cover, photographed by Richard Avedon. A 1965 cover by Richard Avedon
RUTH ANSEL
Art Director, US BAZAAR, 1963–1969
The origins of Ruth Ansel’s career at BAZAAR are defined by superlatives. She joined as a graphic designer in 1961, but soon became (together with Bea Feitler) the magazine’s first female art director—and the industry’s youngest—at the age of 24. As well as youth, she brought a pioneering spirit to the pages; in 1963, her friend Andy Warhol contributed a story about new cars, and two years later she put the first man—Steve McQueen—on the cover of a women’s magazine. She conceived and created some of BAZAAR’s most iconic images, famously for the April 1965 “Pop” issue, in which Jean Shrimpton was shot in a NASA space suit. Guest-edited by Richard Avedon, it was a daring ode to the Swinging Sixties that captured the movement of a generation. “A magazine is meant to reflect the time we live in,” she said, “and if it’s a good magazine, it reflects it provocatively. That’s what we did.” 
Clockwise from left: Patrick Demarchelier shots from the 1990s, including Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista. The November 1997 cover with Princess Diana
Clockwise from left: Patrick Demarchelier shots from the 1990s, including Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista. The November 1997 cover with Princess Diana
LIZ TILBERIS
Editor, US BAZAAR, 1992–1999
Tilberis had a simple yet ambitious aim: To make BAZAAR “the most beautiful magazine in the world.” During her seven years at the helm, the British-born journalist with the signature silver coiffure recruited a roster of extraordinary talent to help her fulfil this vision, from Mario Testino and Peter Lindbergh to Kate Moss and Princess Diana.Tilberis’ achievement was all the more impressive as, throughout her tenure, she was suffering from ovarian cancer; yet she never permitted her illness to affect her optimism and drive. Days before her death, Patrick Demarchelier recalled discussing page layouts with her—“and she was laughing.”