Vogue

Vogue was founded in 1892 as a weekly high-society journal, created by Arthur Baldwin Turnure, (1856-1906) for the New York social elite. It covered news of the local social scene, traditions of high society, and social etiquette; it also reviewed books, plays, and music. Condé Montrose Nast, (1873-1942) the founder of Condé Nast Publications, bought Vogue in 1909 and transformed it into a women’s fashion magazine focused on beauty, serenity, and etiquette. Nast hired the best illustrators and photographers of the day, and they produced covers for the magazine that were consistently sophisticated and occasionally revolutionary. In 1932 for example, Vogue became one of the first magazines to print a colour photo on its cover. The magazine soon became known for its distinctive covers, photographs and high editorial quality.

International editions followed and in 1916 British Vogue was launched with other International editions following at later dates. Contributing artists and photographers to the British edition included Cecil Beaton, Marion Dorn, Eric Fraser, Walter Goetz, Percy Gossop, (art editor), Mary Kessell, Norah McGuinness, John Minton, Norman Parkinson, Muriel Pemberton and John Ward to name but a few. There were also notable features from renowned English writers such as Virginia Woolf and Aldous Huxley.