Tenor of Our Times Tenor of Our Times
Volume 9 Article 16
Spring 5-9-2020
Vogue's Place in Twentieth Century America Vogue's Place in Twentieth Century America
Charis A. Caves
Harding University
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Caves, Charis A. (Spring 2020) "Vogue's Place in Twentieth Century America,"
Tenor of Our Times
: Vol. 9,
Article 16.
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184
Author Bio:
Charis Caves is a Public Administration
major at Harding University from Adel,
Iowa. She is an anchor on Harding
University’s Live at Five news
program. She is grateful for the
opportunity to be published in Tenor of
Our Times. After graduation in May
2020, Charis plans on working in the
Civil Service.
185
“Vogue’s Eye View: Women in Pants,” Vogue, July 1964.
187
VOGUE’S PLACE IN TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICA
By Charis A. Caves
It is ironic how the sources of mundane and common cultural
consumption of an era are often the very same sources that historians
study. Vogue magazine is one of these sources, because it cemented itself
as a staple of consumerism in a rapidly shifting America. Vogue
magazine remains a predominant part of American media after more than
a century of publication. What is it about the publication, which focuses
on fashion and culture, that allowed for the endurance of its popularity
throughout the twentieth century? Vogue adapted its image to reflect the
changes within American society during the twentieth century. By
appealing to the “American dream” of consumerism and highlighting
trendy visual aesthetics, Vogue became popular among a growing
readership of women, causing the magazine to become a hallmark of
American culture throughout an era of significant cultural change.
Vogue magazine began as a publication in Manhattan. Its content
was not geared towards women or culture, rather, the articles and
advertisements within spoke to a niche group of people, the Manhattan
elite.
1
The first edition of Vogue was published in December 1892.
2
It
contained an article entitled “Vogue Society Supplement,” which
described the preparations of debutantes for the inaugural “Patriarch
Ball,” followed by a list of receptions hosted by Manhattan families.
3
The magazine changed significantly from its humble beginnings when its
owner and its content changed.
1
Alison Matthews David, “Vogue’s New World: American
Fashionability and the Politics of Style,” Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress,
Body & Culture, 10, no. 1 (Mar/Jun 2006): 14,
https://doi.org10.2752/136270406778051049.
2
“Vogue Society Supplement,” Vogue, December 1892,
https://archive.vogue.com/article/18921217051/print.
3
Ibid.
Tenor of Our Times
188
In 1909, publishing mogul Condé Nast purchased Vogue. “Nast’s
immediate concern was for the business side of the operation.”
4
During
this time, the magazine established itself as a cultural platform.
5
The
content of the magazine shifted away from the interests of wealthy
Manhattanites toward a more feminine perspective. The editorial focus
became the artistic and glamourous parts of modern American life,
which was reflected in Vogue’s growing popularity and readership.
The advent of accessible photography was one of the first
significant societal changes seen within Vogue’s content. The use of
photography within media marked a shift away from the use of hand-
drawn and hand-painted art. As photography was popularized within
American society, Vogue utilized photographs within its publication. In
the early years of Vogue, the covers were illustrated. The cover designs
were stylized, modern drawings of sophisticated women. As photography
became commonplace, the design of Vogue’s covers shifted from the
aesthetic of stylized art to photographed portraits. By the 1940s, nearly
all Vogue covers were photographed. Outfits featured on the cover were
no longer the product of an artist’s imagination. Modern photography
enabled the magazine to showcase the work of fashion designers which
could be purchased and worn by readers.
6
This change also created a
modern notion of style standards through the promotion of specific
aesthetic.
7
4
Carolyn Garret Cline, “Condé Nast,” in Dictionary of Literary
Biography: American Magazine Journalists, 1900-1960, ed. Sam G. Riley, 249.
Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1990.
5
Dominic Janes, “Early Twentieth-Century Vogue, George Wolfe
Plank and The Freaks of Mayfair,” Visual Culture in Britain 18, no. 1 (March
2017): 68-69, https://doi.org/10.1080/14714787.2017.1317017.
6
Norberto Angeletti and Olivia Alberto, In Vogue: the Illustrated
History of the World’s Most Famous Fashion Magazine, New York: Rizzoli,
2006, 55.
7
Ibid, 119.
Vogue’s Place in Twentieth Century America
189
Along with the technological development of photography, the
medical field was growing. Developments in the realm of Public Health
also influenced the content of the magazine. As the negative health
effects of smoking were recognized, Vogue played a role in discouraging
smoking among its readership, which resulted in the anger of some of its
advertisers. During the 1900s, there was a cultural image of glamour
associated with “the image of a cigarette in the hand of an elegant
woman.”
8
This can be seen in numerous editorials and advertisements in
the magazine, dating back to its illustrated editions. This image was met
with cultural dissonance when the dangers of smoking were recognized.
Articles were published within Vogue to warn its readers of the dangers
of smoking. Editor Grace Mirabella started an anti-smoking campaign in
the magazine, featuring unappealing images of cigarette butts taken by
photographer Irving Penn. This “caused clashes with Vogue’s
advertisers” who used the cultural imagery of glamourous smoking in
their ads.
9
This also created a dissonance through the promotion of
competing ideals, which hearkens back to the dissonance regarding
Vogue’s interpretation of women’s roles.
10
Perhaps these messages
cancelled each other out, or perhaps they appealed concurrently to the
diverse beliefs held by the readership. This speaks, on one level, to the
broad appeal of the publication.
Mary Stockrocki argued that Vogue was a “predominantly myth-
making and image-making machine.”
11
There was a real implication to
the messages that these images sold. She showed women of multiple
8
Cheryl Krasnick Warsh and Penny Tinkler, “In Vogue: North
American and British Representations of Women Smokers in Vogue, 1920s-
1960s.” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History 24, no 1 (2007): 10,
https://doi.org/10.3138/cbmh.24.1.9.
9
Diana Vreeland, Diana Vreeland memos: The Vogue Years (New
York: Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated, 2013), 242.
10
Warsh, “In Vogue,” 10.
11
Mary Stockrocki, “An Intergenerational Examination of Vogue
Fashion Advertisements,” International Journal of Education through Art 1, no.
3 (2005): 265. https://doi.org/10.1286/etar.1.3.259/7.
Tenor of Our Times
190
generations images from Vogue and its advertisers to study their
responses. The fact that women of all three generations had an overall
positive view of the material speaks to the appeal of the magazine. This
study emphasized the popularity of Vogue through its appeal to
advertisers, which often rely on creating advertisements that reflect the
imagery and sophistication of the publication itself. Therefore, the
advertisements played a significant role within the creation of the
imagery that is Vogue.
The success of the publication proved that it had a larger
readership than the assumed wealthy and well-to-do women
12
Throughout the early stages of its publication, Vogue gained a broader
readership with its “greater acceptance of mass-produced and branded
goods, an attitude which [typified] American fashion design.”
13
Despite
its sophisticated image, Vogue associated itself with everyday America
because it created an aesthetic that highlighted expensive fashions within
the recognizable context of everyday American life. It appealed to an
image of glamour that Americans could theoretically attain. According to
Mary Stockrocki, “magazines such as Vogue make money selling
images- the magazine, not actual clothing or products.”
14
In this way,
Vogue became part of the American Dream, one that spoke specifically
to women, and adapted to the changing expectations of our culture.
The February 1940 issue of Vogue epitomized Vogue’s vision of
the American Dream. It was entitled the “Americana Issue” and featured
a model wearing white jacket accessorized with red, white, and blue
jewels.
15
A feature within, entitled “Designers in America,” featured the
designers of Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, among others.
16
12
Warsh, “In Vogue,” 11.
13
David, “Vogue’s New World,” 14.
14
Stockrocki, “An Intergenerational Examination of Vogue Fashion
Advertisements,” 265.
15
“Americana Issue,” Vogue, February 1940.
16
“Designers in America,” Vogue, February 1940,
https://archive.vogue.com/article/19400201141/print .
Vogue’s Place in Twentieth Century America
191
Vogue achieved its readership by appealing to the stylistic tastes of
American women, even those that did not buy the fashions within its
pages.
Vogue created a cultural image: what Vogue published reflected
the cultural desires and images of the real world. According to historian
Dominic Janes, “fashion magazines played a prominent role in shaping
perceptions about not merely desirable styles of dress, but of lifestyles in
general.”
17
For example, when women first started wearing pants, Vogue
emphasized that “pants could be just as feminine as skirts and dresses…
women just needed to pay attention to other aspects of their appearance
in order to emphasize their femininity.”
18
The July 1964 edition of Vogue
contained an article entitled “Women in Pants,” accompanied with a
photo of “Queen Sirikit of Thailand… in blue jeans.”
19
Through
editorials such as this, Vogue had an influence on normalizing new
fashions, and thereby influenced the culture. Women wearing pants as a
fashion is a purely aesthetic choice. However, fashion standards of
women changed in accordance with the social power that women had
within America. The editorial on women wearing pants explained that
pants “will come to the city as surely as the automobile came. They will
be powered by the young, the daring… women who see… the essence of
contemporary allure and comfort.”
20
Vogue was not only a successful
female-oriented publication, by also one that influenced the aesthetic
choices of women within a shifting political environment.
Early editions of Vogue did not present a clear position
regarding women’s roles. Vogue advocated and supported multiple
17
Janes, “Early Twentieth-Century Vogue,” 68.
18
Betty Luther Hillman, Dressing for the Culture Wars: Style and
Politics of Self-Presentation in the 1960s And 1970s, Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 2015, 20.
19
“Vogue’s Eye View: Women in Pants,” Vogue, July 1964,
https://archive.vogue.com/article/19640701062/print.
20
Ibid.
Tenor of Our Times
192
iterations of modern women and their lifestyles. However, the written
articles within the magazine were not necessarily political in nature.
Modern, athletic women were lauded alongside traditional, delicate
models of femininity.
21
This speaks to the notion that publications like
Vogue have remained in the cultural marketplace due to their choice to
appeal to multiple perspectives. While this is a valid argument, early
editions of Vogue refrained from making overt political statements. By
choosing to feature modern women in its pages, Vogue showed its
support of women in society while remaining a publication focused on
fashion and aesthetic. During the mid-twentieth century, this changed as
Vogue became a platform for political figures. Two of these women were
Millicent Fenwick and Gloria Steinem. Both Fenwick and Steinem were
political activists, Vogue models, and Vogue writers.
Millicent Fenwick was an editor of Vogue. After her tenure as
editor, she became a Congresswoman that fought for equal rights.
Fenwick became politically active in the 1930s. During that time, she
was also worked as a model. She was the editor of Vogue from 1938-
1948, during which she wrote Vogue’s Book of Etiquette.
22
Vogue’s Book
of Etiquette gave a particularly insightful ideal of a modern, yet
sophisticated woman. The book gives advice on being singleness,
motherhood, fashion, and even ettiquete for dining at the White House.
23
After leaving Vogue to pursue a fulltime political career,
Fenwick was interviewed for an profile in the June 1975 edition of
Vogue. At that time, Fenwick was a Republican Congresswoman for the
state of New Jersey. The profile criticized the media’s characterization of
her after her congressional win. At a healthy and sharp sixty-four years
21
David, “Vogue’s New World,” 24.
22
“Fenwick, Millicent Hammond (1910-1992),” In From Suffrage to
the Senate: America’s Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes,
& Issues, by Suzanne O’Dea (Amenia, NY: Grey House Publishing, 2013), 1.
23
Millicent Fenwick, Vogue’s Book of Etiquette: A Complete Guide to
Traditional Forms and Modern Usage. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1948.
Vogue’s Place in Twentieth Century America
193
old, she was teased as a “geriatric triumph” after winning her
congressional bid.
24
The article described Fenwick’s pivotal trip to
Vietnam with other members of Congress, and how it changed her
perspective of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam Conflict.
Author Jean Stafford wrote that Fenwick “emerged in her true form as a
dove; she had the courageous humility to change her tune. When she
came back, she was vehemently against our sending another nickel’s
worth of arms” toward the Vietnam Conflict.
25
A freelance journalist and model for Vogue, Gloria Steinem was
a cultural figure that normalized the feminist movement through her
popularity. According to historian Suzanne O’Dea, “Steinem’s physical
appeal provided reassurance to some women that feminists can be
attractive and enjoy the company of men, in addition to having power.”
26
The July 1964 edition of Vogue featured Gloria Steinem on the cover,
and featured her written profile of African-American writer James
Baldwin. Baldwin spoke to Steinem about writing Mister Charlie, a
Broadway play about an African American man. Baldwin explained to
Steinem that “though the action takes place in a small southern town, it
applies to the whole country.”
27
The article further explained Baldwin’s
upbringing and experience within America during the Civil Rights era.
This article reflected how Vogue became a platform for political and
cultural changes within America.
While remaining a uniquely American publication, Vogue started
to highlight different cultures and fashions within its pages. Editor Diana
Vreeland was incredibly inspired by the diverse cultures of the world,
24
Jean Stafford, “Millicent Fenwick: An Adroit Politician,” Vogue,
June 1975, https://archive.vogue.com/article/19750601098/print.
25
Ibid.
26
“Steinem, Gloria Marie (b. 1934),” In From Suffrage to the Senate:
America’s Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes, & Issues, by
Suzanne O’Dea (Amenia, NY: Grey House Publishing, 2013), 1.
27
Gloria Steinem, “James Baldwin, An Original: A Sharpened view of
him,” Vogue, July 1964, https://archive.vogue.com/article/19640701073/print.
Tenor of Our Times
194
which influenced the pages of Vogue. For instance, Vreeland featured
clothing and models from African, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries.
She personally knew and admired the queen of Thailand, and featured
Asian fashion motifs within her editorials. Diana Vreeland drew
influence not only from the fashion of other parts of the world, but also
from its different religious beliefs. She believed in the importance of
meditation, and felt that spiritual articles were useful to “give people a
bit of a lift.”
28
She used her tenure at Vogue to expand Vogue’s
recognition of diverse cultures.
Vreeland refrained from making political statements during her
tenure, and viewed the realm of her work to be outside Academia. When
asked about her views by a college student, Vreeland explained that “no
war or pestilence in history has ever stopped fashion and manners in
dress from progressing and changing… fashion is always guided by the
social and economic world as it changes and fluctuates.”
29
This
perspective showed a simplistic view of what Vogue was: a reflection of
a changing culture and its fashions. Under her leadership, Vogue was not
a platform for social change. Rather, it was a platform for the changing
fashions within a society. More than anything, Vogue promoted an
aesthetic.
Diana Vreeland’s tenure as Vogue editor corresponds with the
age of Old Hollywood. Grace Mirabella, her successor as editor, spoke of
the direction of the magazine during Vreeland’s time and stated that
“Vreeland changed the content [of Vogue]. Fantasy … in clothes and in
beauty- plus the first very well reported plastic surgery articles,” were
published under Vreeland’s leadership.
30
Thus, according to Mirabella,
the focus towards new societal aspects during Vreeland’s generation,
such as plastic surgery, showed and reflected the interests of not only the
readership, but broader society. The pages of Vogue showed a piece of
28
Vreeland, Diana Vreeland memos: The Vogue Years, 188-190.
29
Ibid, 196.
30
Mirabella, In and Out of Vogue, 245.
Vogue’s Place in Twentieth Century America
195
the real life of America, within an appealing vision of the American
Dream.
Vreeland’s successor, Grace Mirabella, shared Vreeland’s
passion for Vogue. However, her background was in stark contrast to
Vreeland’s. Vreeland came from a wealthy background, which is
reflected within her leadership at Vogue. In her memoir, Mirabella
explains that “Vreeland was a pure product of Parisian couture… her
tastes were as aristocratic and European as [Mirabella’s] were
American.”
31
Mirabella explained her original distaste for working with
Vreeland because of how out-of-touch Vreeland seemed. “She was
someone who, while my family and millions of others were struggling
through the Great Depression” had written about importing furniture,
writing with diamond pencils, and washing children’s hair “in dead
champagne.”
32
The dichotomy of Vreeland and Mirabella reflected the
cultural dissonance within Vogue: fashion and culture within competing
contexts of wealth and attainability.
The transition of leadership provided new energy, which resulted
in significant cultural changes within the organization. Grace Mirabella’s
promotion to editor signaled Vogue’s transition into modern society.
Mirabella shifted focus to “the fashion of real life.”
33
She wanted to
promote an image that reflected modern culture: an image that was
consistent with the magazine’s readership. Mirabella’s tenure was
characterized by bold editorial choices. One of these decisions was the
August 1974 cover. Beverly Johnson became the first African-American
model on the cover of the magazine. This occurred three years into
Mirabella’s tenure. The issue was aptly titled “our American look
issue.”
34
The Beverly Johnson cover marked a shift in cultural
representation in mainstream media.
31
Mirabella, In and Out of Vogue, 108.
32
Ibid, 104.
33
Ibid, 213.
34
Ibid, 212.
Tenor of Our Times
196
Despite her wealth, Vreeland focused on the economic viability
of Vogue’s audience. This is reflected within the current publication of
Vogue under current editor Anna Wintour. While Vogue is bent toward
high fashion, both editors made it a priority to highlight less expensive
clothing. Vreeland wrote, “I think that the most completely constructive
thing that Vogue can do for its readers is when we show a group of
inexpensive clothes for summer.”
35
Wintour presented clothes from
multiple cost brackets, as evinced in her first magazine cover.
36
The first Vogue cover under Wintour’s leadership featured a
model wearing jeans, a first for the magazine. The incongruity of “an
expensive item [a couture jacket] paired with an inexpensive one [jeans]
showed Wintour’s risk-taking sensibilities.
37
This also reflected a change
in what was viewed as fashionable. Wintour’s first cover argued that
even jeans could fit within the framework elegance and sophistication
that magazine evokes. Another one of the editorial changes was a more
realistic portrayal of its models. A practical approach to this was seen in
a no-makeup shoot with model Claudia Schiffer. Anna Wintour
explained “she looked terrific. It was part of showing real girls in real
life.”
38
Furthermore, Vogue’s historic focus on culture and those who
define it is reflected in the decision to feature prominent social figures,
such as Gloria Steinem, within its pages.
The twentieth century marked several significant technological
advancements and social changes. As America grew, American
consumerism grew with it. American culture, politics, and media
developed alongside technological advancements. Vogue publication was
a lasting part of American media because it adapted to the changing
world. Vogue created a vision of the American dream, ever changing in
35
Vreeland, Diana Vreeland memos: The Vogue Years, 86.
36
Angeletti, In Vogue: the Illustrated History of the World’s Most
Famous Fashion Magazine, 251.
37
Ibid, 251.
38
Vreeland, Diana Vreeland memos: The Vogue Years, 258.
Vogue’s Place in Twentieth Century America
197
its aesthetic, that enchanted the public. This allowed Vogue to maintain a
steadily growing readership, primarily of American women. The historic
collective publication of Vogue represented changing ideals, and created
a helpful lens for interpreting the social values and social change of
twentieth century America.
