Frank Crowninshield

Francis Welch Crowninshield (1872–1947), better known as Frank or Crownie ("informal"), was a French-born, America-based journalist and art and theatre critic best known for developing and editing the magazine "Vanity Fair".

Personal life

Born in Paris, France, Crowninshield was what he called a "poor but good" member of the well-heeled Boston Brahmin Crowninshield family. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933282,00.html?iid=chix-sphere] His parents were Americans; his father worked as an independent mural painter.

As a resident of New York City, Crowninshield was highly active in the high-class social life of New York City and socialized on a regular basis with the elites of the period. He was a member of the exclusive Knickerbocker Club and Union Club.

"Vanity Fair"

In 1914, Crowninshield – who was considered "the most cultivated, elegant, and endearing man in publishing, if not Manhattan" [http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/vintage/earlyyears] – was hired by his friend and later roommate Condé Nast to become editor of the new "Vanity Fair". Crowninshield immediately dropped the magazine's fashion elements and helped turn the periodical into the preeminent literary voice of sophisticated American society until 1935.

During his tenure as editor, Crowninshield attracted the best writers of the era. Aldous Huxley, T. S. Eliot, Ferenc Molnar, Gertrude Stein, and Djuna Barnes all appeared in a single issue (July 1923), while some of F. Scott Fitzgerald's earliest works were published within its pages. Dorothy Parker's first poem was bought for the magazine under Crowninshield's advisement, and the magazine was also the first to print reproductions of works by artists like Picasso and Matisse.

He also revised the magazine's policies on advertising. In 1915, "Vanity Fair" published more pages of ads than any other magazine in the country, though the number dwindled under Crowninshield's leadership and the magazine lost valuable revenue, particularly during and following the Great Depression.

Other work

Aside from his work with "Vanity Fair", Crowninshield remained active in the arts and high society. He often advised the affluent on art investments and helped develop younger artists of the period, including Clara Tice [http://www.francisnaumann.com/Daughters%20of%20DADA/Tice.html] . He built his own art collection as well, including a large assortment of African and modern French art. [http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibits/pastexhibits/sketchbk/jgraham.htm] [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,794088,00.html?iid=chix-sphere]

Crowninshield was widely published outside of "Vanity Fair", including in "Vogue" [http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/collections_list.cfm/fuseaction/Collections.ViewCollection/CollectionID/13523/search_letter/S] , for which he later served as editor, and "The Century Magazine", where he had been an art critic [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MUSEUM/Armory/gender.html] .

Post-career

After his retirement, Crowninshield began to sell most of his private art collection. He sold a total of 1019 items, earning a total of $181,747. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933282,00.html?iid=chix-sphere] His collection had included pieces from artists such as Jules Pascin, Manet, Degas, Renoir, and others.

Crowninshield died in 1947 at the age of 75. In his obituary, the "New York Times" credited Crowninshield with developing "café society" in America. [http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/vintage/earlyyears] He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts.

In the 1994 film "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle", Crowninshield was depicted by Peter Benchley.

External links

* [http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/vintage/earlyyears "Vanity Fair": The Early Years]
* cite news
author=
title=Mr. Crowinshield Unloads
date=1943-11-01
work=Time Magazine
url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933282,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
accessdate=2008-08-14