This article is about the British magazine published from 1868 to 1914. For other Vanity Fair magazines, see Vanity Fair (magazines).
Vanity Fair was a British weekly magazine that was published from 1868 to 1914. Founded by Thomas Gibson Bowles in London, the magazine included articles on fashion, theatre, current events as well as word games and serial fiction. The cream of the period's "society magazines", it is best known for its witty prose and caricatures of famous people of Victorian and Edwardian society, including artists, athletes, royalty, statesmen, scientists, authors, actors, business people and scholars.[1][2]
Taking its title from Thackeray's popular satire on early 19th-century British society, Vanity Fair was not immediately successful and struggled with competition from rival publications. Bowles then promised his readers "Some Pictorial Wares of an entirely novel character", and on 30 January 1869, a full-page caricature of Benjamin Disraeli appeared. This was the first of over 2,300 caricatures to be published. According to the National Portrait Gallery in London, "Vanity Fair's illustrations, instantly recognizable in terms of style and size, led to a rapid increase in demand for the magazine. It gradually became a mark of honour to be the 'victim' of one of its numerous caricaturists. Bowles's witty accompanying texts, full of insights and innuendoes, certainly contributed towards the popularity of these images".[2]
When the history of the Victorian Era comes to be written in true perspective, the most faithful mirror and record of ... the spirit of the times will be sought and found in Vanity Fair.
Subtitled "A Weekly Show of Political, Social and Literary Wares", it was founded in 1868 by Thomas Gibson Bowles, who aimed to expose the contemporary vanities of Victorian society. Colonel Fred Burnaby provided £100 of the original £200 capital, and inspired by Thackeray's popular satire on early 19th-century British society suggested the title Vanity Fair.[3] The first issue appeared in London on 7 November 1868. It offered its readers articles on fashion, current events, the theatre, books, social events and the latest scandals, together with serial fiction, word games and other trivia.[2][4]
Thomas Allinson bought the magazine in 1911 from Frank Harris, by which time it was failing financially. He failed to revive it and the final issue of Vanity Fair appeared on 5 February 1914, after which it was merged into Hearth and Home.[4]
A full-page, colour lithograph of a contemporary celebrity or dignitary appeared in most issues, and it is for these caricatures that Vanity Fair is best known then[7] and today.[3] Subjects included artists, athletes, royalty, statesmen, scientists, authors, actors, soldiers, religious personalities, business people and scholars. More than two thousand of these images appeared, and they are considered the chief cultural legacy of the magazine, forming a pictorial record of the period. They were produced by an international group of artists, including Sir Max Beerbohm, Sir Leslie Ward (who signed his work "Spy" and "Drawl"), the Italians Carlo Pellegrini ("Singe" and "Ape"), Melchiorre Delfico ("Delfico"), Liborio Prosperi ("Lib"), the Florentine artist and critic Adriano Cecioni, the French artists James Tissot ("Coïdé"), Prosper d'Épinay ("Nemo") and the American Thomas Nast.[2]
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This article is about the British magazine published from 1868 to 1914 For other Vanity Fair magazines see Vanity Fair magazines Vanity Fair was a British weekly magazine that was published from 1868 to 1914 Founded by Thomas Gibson Bowles in London the magazine included articles on fashion theatre current events as well as word games and serial fiction The cream of the period s society magazines it is best known for its witty prose and caricatures of famous people of Victorian and Edwardian society including artists athletes royalty statesmen scientists authors actors business people and scholars 1 2 Winter supplement 23 November 1899 caricature of the trial of DreyfusTaking its title from Thackeray s popular satire on early 19th century British society Vanity Fair was not immediately successful and struggled with competition from rival publications Bowles then promised his readers Some Pictorial Wares of an entirely novel character and on 30 January 1869 a full page caricature of Benjamin Disraeli appeared This was the first of over 2 300 caricatures to be published According to the National Portrait Gallery in London Vanity Fair s illustrations instantly recognizable in terms of style and size led to a rapid increase in demand for the magazine It gradually became a mark of honour to be the victim of one of its numerous caricaturists Bowles s witty accompanying texts full of insights and innuendoes certainly contributed towards the popularity of these images 2 Contents 1 History 2 Caricatures 3 Image gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory editWhen the history of the Victorian Era comes to be written in true perspective the most faithful mirror and record of the spirit of the times will be sought and found in Vanity Fair Vanity Fair illustrator Spy 1 Subtitled A Weekly Show of Political Social and Literary Wares it was founded in 1868 by Thomas Gibson Bowles who aimed to expose the contemporary vanities of Victorian society Colonel Fred Burnaby provided 100 of the original 200 capital and inspired by Thackeray s popular satire on early 19th century British society suggested the title Vanity Fair 3 The first issue appeared in London on 7 November 1868 It offered its readers articles on fashion current events the theatre books social events and the latest scandals together with serial fiction word games and other trivia 2 4 Bowles wrote much of the magazine himself under various pseudonyms such as Jehu Junior but contributors included Lewis Carroll Arthur Hervey Willie Wilde Jessie Pope P G Wodehouse who also wrote for the unrelated Conde Nast magazine of the same name and Bertram Fletcher Robinson who was editor from June 1904 to October 1906 5 Lewis Carroll created a series of word ladder puzzles which he then called Doublets which first appeared in the 29 March 1879 issue 6 Thomas Allinson bought the magazine in 1911 from Frank Harris by which time it was failing financially He failed to revive it and the final issue of Vanity Fair appeared on 5 February 1914 after which it was merged into Hearth and Home 4 Caricatures editMain article Vanity Fair caricatures A full page colour lithograph of a contemporary celebrity or dignitary appeared in most issues and it is for these caricatures that Vanity Fair is best known then 7 and today 3 Subjects included artists athletes royalty statesmen scientists authors actors soldiers religious personalities business people and scholars More than two thousand of these images appeared and they are considered the chief cultural legacy of the magazine forming a pictorial record of the period They were produced by an international group of artists including Sir Max Beerbohm Sir Leslie Ward who signed his work Spy and Drawl the Italians Carlo Pellegrini Singe and Ape Melchiorre Delfico Delfico Liborio Prosperi Lib the Florentine artist and critic Adriano Cecioni the French artists James Tissot Coide Prosper d Epinay Nemo and the American Thomas Nast 2 Image gallery edit nbsp The Duke of Abercorn by Carlo Pellegrini Ape in the 25 September 1869 issue nbsp Benjamin Disraeli by Carlo Pellegrini in the 30 January 1869 issue nbsp Mansur Ali Khan of Bengal by Alfred Thompson Ἀth in the 16 April 1870 issue nbsp William Thomson Archbishop of York by Carlo Pellegrini in the 24 June 1871 issue nbsp Charles Darwin by James Tissot Coide in the 30 September 1871 issue nbsp Caricature of Midhat Pasha by Leslie Ward Spy in the 30 June 1877 issue nbsp Thomas Hardy caricature by Leslie Ward in the 4 June 1892 issue nbsp Captioned Old Bones caricature of an elderly Richard Owen in 1873 nbsp Alexandre Dumas fils by Theobald Chartran in the 27 December 1879 issue nbsp Captioned Steel Sir Henry Bessemer by Leslie Ward in the 6 November 1880 issue nbsp Rudyard Kipling by Leslie Ward on 7 June 1894 nbsp President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic by Leslie Ward in the 8 March 1900 issue nbsp Suffragette Christabel Pankhurst in the 15 June 1910 issue nbsp Queen Alexandra unsigned in the 7 June 1911 issue nbsp William Gillette playing Sherlock Holmes drawn by Leslie Ward in the 27 February 1907 issue nbsp Henrik Ibsen by Snapp in the 12 December 1901 issue nbsp Oscar Wilde by Carlo Pellegrini in issue 812 April 1884 nbsp Caricature of golfer Horace Hutchinson by Leslie Ward on 19 July 1890 nbsp Caricature of Henry Irving in the melodrama The Bells in the 19 December 1874 issue nbsp Caricature of Pierre and Marie Curie in the 22 December 1904 issue nbsp W S Gilbert by Leslie Ward published on 21 May 1881 nbsp Winston Churchill by Leslie Ward 27 September 1900 nbsp Mark Twain by Leslie Ward on 13 May 1908 nbsp Captioned Boy Scouts Robert Baden Powell in the 19 April 1911 issueSee also editList of Vanity Fair artists List of Vanity Fair caricatures The Rowers of Vanity Fair Wikibook gives a history of the magazine with focus on sportsmenReferences edit a b Vanity Fair The One Click History Vanity Fair Retrieved 18 March 2022 a b c d Vanity Fair cartoons drawings by various artists 1869 1910 National Portrait Gallery Retrieved 18 March 2022 a b Matthews Roy T Mellini Peter 1982 In Vanity Fair University of California Press p 17 ISBN 9780520043008 a b The legacy of Vanity Fair s caricatures The Critic Retrieved 18 March 2022 Spiring Paul R 2009 The World of Vanity Fair by Bertram Fletcher Robinson London MX Publishing ISBN 978 1 904312 53 6 Deanna Haunsperger Stephen Kennedy 31 July 2006 The Edge of the Universe Celebrating Ten Years of Math Horizons Mathematical Association of America p 22 ISBN 0 88385 555 0 Literary Gossip The Week A Canadian Journal of Politics Literature Science and Arts 1 18 286 3 April 1884 Retrieved 30 April 2013 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vanity Fair UK magazine Vanity Fair cartoons chromolithographs by various artists 1869 1914 UK National Portrait Gallery Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vanity Fair British magazine amp oldid 1202755855, 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