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{{short description|American editor, art and theater critic (1872–1947)}}
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[[File:Francis Crowninshield.jpg|thumb|right|Frank Crowninshield]]
[[File:Francis Crowninshield.jpg|thumb|right|Frank Crowninshield]]
'''Francis Welch Crowninshield''' (June 24, 1872 – December 28, 1947), better known as '''Frank''' or '''Crownie''' (''informal''), was an American [[journalist]] and art and theatre [[critic]] best known for developing and editing the [[magazine]] ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913-1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' for 21 years, making it a pre-eminent literary journal.
'''Francis Welch Crowninshield''' (June 24, 1872 – December 28, 1947) was an American [[journalist]] and art and theater [[critic]] best known for developing and editing the [[magazine]] ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913-1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' for 21 years, making it a pre-eminent literary journal.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Crowninshield was born June 24, 1872 in [[Paris]], [[France]], to the Americans [[Frederic Crowninshield]] (1845-1918) and his wife, the former Helen Suzette Fairbanks, what he called "poor but good" members of the well-heeled [[Boston Brahmin]] [[Crowninshield family]].<ref name="unloads">{{cite news |title= Art: Mr. Crowinshield Unloads |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933282,00.html |work= [[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]] |date= November 1, 1943 |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref> His father, a man of "independent means", was a [[poet]] and a respected [[Painting|painter]] of landscape and murals. He served for two years as director of the [[American Academy in Rome]].<ref name="unloads"/><ref>{{cite news |title= F. Crowninshield, Artist, Dies in Italy |date= September 15, 1918 |newspaper= [[New York Times]] |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E00E0DF123FE432A25756C1A96F9C946996D6CF |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref>
Crowninshield was born June 24, 1872,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frank Crowninshield |url=https://spartacus-educational.com/Jfrank_crowninshield.htm |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Spartacus Educational}}</ref> in [[Paris]], [[France]], to the Americans [[Frederic Crowninshield]] (1845–1918) and his wife, the former Helen Suzette Fairbanks, whom he later called "poor but good" members of the well-heeled [[Boston Brahmin]] [[Crowninshield family]].<ref name="unloads">{{cite magazine |title= Art: Mr. Crowinshield Unloads |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933282,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081214161126/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933282,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 14, 2008 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date= November 1, 1943 |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref> His father, a man of "independent means", was a [[poet]] and a respected [[Painting|painter]] of landscape and murals. He served for two years as director of the [[American Academy in Rome]].<ref name="unloads"/><ref>{{cite news |title= F. Crowninshield, Artist, Dies in Italy |date= September 15, 1918 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E00E0DF123FE432A25756C1A96F9C946996D6CF |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref>


As an adult Frank Crowninshield lived in [[New York]] City, where he was active in the high-class life and socialized on a regular basis with the [[elite]]s of the period, as well as rising artists and writers. He was a member of the exclusive [[Knickerbocker Club]] and [[Union Club]].
As an adult, Crowninshield lived in [[New York City]], where he was active in the high-class social life, as well as an associate of rising artists and writers. He was a member of the exclusive [[Knickerbocker Club]] and [[Union Club of the City of New York|Union Club]]. He was also a member of the [[Dutch Treat Club]] from 1937 to 1947 and served as one of its vice presidents. An award given by the club in his name was given to [[Arthur Rubinstein]] in 1954.


Crowninshield never married.
Crowninshield never married.


==''Vanity Fair''==
==''Vanity Fair''==
In 1914, Crowninshield &ndash; who was considered "the most cultivated, elegant, and endearing man in publishing, if not Manhattan"<ref name="VF">{{cite web |title= Vanity Fair: The Early Years, 1914–1936 |author= Amy Fine Collins |url= http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/vintage/earlyyears |work= Vanity Fair web site |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref> &ndash; was hired by his friend [[Condé Montrose Nast|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 [[Literature|literary]] voice of sophisticated American society, a position it held until 1935. As young adults, Nast and Crowninshield were roommates.
In 1914, Crowninshield &ndash; who was considered "the most cultivated, elegant, and endearing man in publishing, if not Manhattan"<ref name="VF">{{cite web |title= Vanity Fair: The Early Years, 1914–1936 |author= Amy Fine Collins |url= http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/vintage/earlyyears |work= Vanity Fair web site |accessdate= October 29, 2010 |archive-date= July 13, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140713162133/http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/vintage/earlyyears |url-status= dead }}</ref> &ndash; was hired by his friend [[Condé Nast (businessman)|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 magazine|literary]] voice of sophisticated American society, a position it held until 1935. As young adults, Nast and Crowninshield had been roommates.


During his tenure as editor, Crowninshield attracted the best writers of the era. In fact, [[Aldous Huxley]], [[T. S. Eliot]], [[Ferenc Molnár]], [[Gertrude Stein]], and [[Djuna Barnes]], all appeared in the issue of July 1923, while some of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s earliest works were published by the magazine. [[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 such as [[Picasso]] and [[Matisse]].
During his tenure as editor, Crowninshield attracted the best writers of the era. [[Aldous Huxley]], [[T. S. Eliot]], [[Ferenc Molnár]], [[Gertrude Stein]], and [[Djuna Barnes]], all appeared in the issue of July 1923, while some of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s earliest works were published in the magazine. Crowninshield bought [[Dorothy Parker]]'s first published poem for the magazine, and it was also the first periodical in the United States to print reproductions of works by artists such as [[Picasso]] and [[Matisse]].


Crowninshield 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. The magazine lost valuable revenue, especially during and following the [[Great Depression]], when businesses purchases fewer ads in any case.
Crowninshield revised the magazine's policies on advertising. In 1915, ''Vanity Fair'' published more pages of ads than any other magazine in the country, but the number dwindled under Crowninshield's editorship. The magazine lost valuable revenue, especially during and following the [[Great Depression]], when businesses purchased fewer ads in any case.


==Other work==
==Other work==
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]]<ref>[http://www.francisnaumann.com/Daughters%20of%20DADA/Tice.html "Clara Tice"], ''Daughters of Dada'', Francis M. Naumann Website</ref> He built his own art collection as well, including a large assortment of [[African art|African]] and modern [[French art]].<ref>[http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibits/pastexhibits/sketchbk/jgraham.htm "John Graham"], ''Visual Thinking: Sketchbooks from the Archives of American Art'', Smithsonian Institution</ref><ref name="unloads"/>
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]].<ref>[http://www.francisnaumann.com/Daughters%20of%20DADA/Tice.html "Clara Tice"], ''Daughters of Dada'', Francis M. Naumann Website</ref> He built his own art collection as well, including a large assortment of [[African art|African]] and modern [[French art]].<ref name="unloads"/><ref>[http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibits/pastexhibits/sketchbk/jgraham.htm "John Graham"], ''Visual Thinking: Sketchbooks from the Archives of American Art'', Smithsonian Institution</ref>


Crowninshield was widely published outside ''Vanity Fair'', including in ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]''<ref>[http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/collections_list.cfm/fuseaction/Collections.ViewCollection/CollectionID/13523/search_letter/S "Charles Sheeler"], Charles Sheeler letter to Frank Crowninshield, September 27, 1939, re: piece in ''Vogue'', Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution</ref>, for which he later served as an editor, and ''[[The Century Magazine]]'', where he had been an art critic.<ref>[http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MUSEUM/Armory/gender.html " 'The Part Played By Women': The Gender of Modernism at the Armory Show"], University of Virginia</ref>
Crowninshield was widely published outside ''Vanity Fair'', including in ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'',<ref>[http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/collections_list.cfm/fuseaction/Collections.ViewCollection/CollectionID/13523/search_letter/S "Charles Sheeler"], Charles Sheeler letter to Frank Crowninshield, September 27, 1939, re: piece in ''Vogue'', Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution</ref> for which he later served as an editor, and ''[[The Century Magazine]]'', where he had been an art critic.<ref>[http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MUSEUM/Armory/gender.html {{"'}}The Part Played By Women': The Gender of Modernism at the Armory Show"], University of Virginia</ref>

According to Sybil Gordon Kantor in her book ''Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and the Intellectual Origins of the Museum of Modern Art'', Crowninshield along with several others was a founding member trustee.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=S7nfCkrBVREC&dq=frank+crowninshield+museum+of+modern+art&pg=PA98 Kantor, Sybil. ''Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and the Intellectual Origins of the Museum of Modern Art'']</ref>


==Post-career==
==Post-career==
After his retirement, Crowninshield began to sell most of his private art collection. In 1943, he sold a total of 1019 items, earning a total of $181,747.<ref name="unloads"/> His collection had included pieces from Impressionist and Modern artists such as [[Jules Pascin]], [[Manet]], [[Degas]], [[Renoir]], and others.
After his retirement, Crowninshield began to sell most of his private art collection. In 1943, he sold a total of 1019 items, earning a total of $181,747.<ref name="unloads"/> His collection had included pieces from Impressionist and Modern artists such as [[Jules Pascin]], [[Manet]], [[Degas]], [[Renoir]], [[André Dunoyer de Segonzac|Segonzac]] and others.


Crowninshield died December 28, 1947 at the age of 75.<ref>{{cite news |title= F. Crowninshield is Dead Here at 75; Advisor to Conde Nast Firm—Introduced French Modernist Painters to This Country |date= December 29, 1947 |newspaper= [[New York Times]] |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60C12F7355A1B7B93CBAB1789D95F438485F9 |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref> The ''[[New York Times]]'' credited Crowninshield with developing "café society" in the United States and noted his long leadership at ''Vanity Fair''.<ref name="VF"/> He was buried at [[Mount Auburn Cemetery]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].
Crowninshield died December 28, 1947, in New York at the age of 75.<ref>{{cite news |title= F. Crowninshield is Dead Here at 75; Advisor to Conde Nast Firm—Introduced French Modernist Painters to This Country |date= December 29, 1947 |newspaper=The New York Times |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60C12F7355A1B7B93CBAB1789D95F438485F9 |accessdate= October 29, 2010 }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' credited Crowninshield with developing "[[café society]]" in the United States and noted his long editorship at ''Vanity Fair''.<ref name="VF"/> He was buried at [[Mount Auburn Cemetery]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]].


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==
* The film ''[[Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle]]'' (1994) featured Crowninshield played by the actor [[Peter Benchley]].
* The film ''[[Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle]]'' (1994) featured Crowninshield played by the author and screenwriter [[Peter Benchley]], grandson of [[Robert Benchley]].


==Family tree==
==Family tree==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{commonscat|Frank Crowninshield}}
{{commons category|Frank Crowninshield}}
*{{Find a Grave |8801888 }}
*{{Find a Grave |8801888 }}

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowninshield, Frank}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowninshield, Frank}}
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:Condé Nast Publications]]
[[Category:Condé Nast people]]
[[Category:Crowninshield family]]
[[Category:Crowninshield family]]
[[Category:American art collectors]]
[[Category:American art collectors]]
[[Category:American Vogue]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American writers]]
[[Category:American magazine editors]]
[[Category:American magazine editors]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery]]

Latest revision as of 23:06, 10 May 2024

Frank Crowninshield

Francis Welch Crowninshield (June 24, 1872 – December 28, 1947) was an American journalist and art and theater critic best known for developing and editing the magazine Vanity Fair for 21 years, making it a pre-eminent literary journal.

Personal life[edit]

Crowninshield was born June 24, 1872,[1] in Paris, France, to the Americans Frederic Crowninshield (1845–1918) and his wife, the former Helen Suzette Fairbanks, whom he later called "poor but good" members of the well-heeled Boston Brahmin Crowninshield family.[2] His father, a man of "independent means", was a poet and a respected painter of landscape and murals. He served for two years as director of the American Academy in Rome.[2][3]

As an adult, Crowninshield lived in New York City, where he was active in the high-class social life, as well as an associate of rising artists and writers. He was a member of the exclusive Knickerbocker Club and Union Club. He was also a member of the Dutch Treat Club from 1937 to 1947 and served as one of its vice presidents. An award given by the club in his name was given to Arthur Rubinstein in 1954.

Crowninshield never married.

Vanity Fair[edit]

In 1914, Crowninshield – who was considered "the most cultivated, elegant, and endearing man in publishing, if not Manhattan"[4] – was hired by his friend 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, a position it held until 1935. As young adults, Nast and Crowninshield had been roommates.

During his tenure as editor, Crowninshield attracted the best writers of the era. Aldous Huxley, T. S. Eliot, Ferenc Molnár, Gertrude Stein, and Djuna Barnes, all appeared in the issue of July 1923, while some of F. Scott Fitzgerald's earliest works were published in the magazine. Crowninshield bought Dorothy Parker's first published poem for the magazine, and it was also the first periodical in the United States to print reproductions of works by artists such as Picasso and Matisse.

Crowninshield revised the magazine's policies on advertising. In 1915, Vanity Fair published more pages of ads than any other magazine in the country, but the number dwindled under Crowninshield's editorship. The magazine lost valuable revenue, especially during and following the Great Depression, when businesses purchased fewer ads in any case.

Other work[edit]

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.[5] He built his own art collection as well, including a large assortment of African and modern French art.[2][6]

Crowninshield was widely published outside Vanity Fair, including in Vogue,[7] for which he later served as an editor, and The Century Magazine, where he had been an art critic.[8]

According to Sybil Gordon Kantor in her book Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and the Intellectual Origins of the Museum of Modern Art, Crowninshield along with several others was a founding member trustee.[9]

Post-career[edit]

After his retirement, Crowninshield began to sell most of his private art collection. In 1943, he sold a total of 1019 items, earning a total of $181,747.[2] His collection had included pieces from Impressionist and Modern artists such as Jules Pascin, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Segonzac and others.

Crowninshield died December 28, 1947, in New York at the age of 75.[10] The New York Times credited Crowninshield with developing "café society" in the United States and noted his long editorship at Vanity Fair.[4] He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In popular culture[edit]

Family tree[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Frank Crowninshield". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Art: Mr. Crowinshield Unloads". Time. November 1, 1943. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  3. ^ "F. Crowninshield, Artist, Dies in Italy". The New York Times. September 15, 1918. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Amy Fine Collins. "Vanity Fair: The Early Years, 1914–1936". Vanity Fair web site. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  5. ^ "Clara Tice", Daughters of Dada, Francis M. Naumann Website
  6. ^ "John Graham", Visual Thinking: Sketchbooks from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
  7. ^ "Charles Sheeler", Charles Sheeler letter to Frank Crowninshield, September 27, 1939, re: piece in Vogue, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
  8. ^ "'The Part Played By Women': The Gender of Modernism at the Armory Show", University of Virginia
  9. ^ Kantor, Sybil. Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and the Intellectual Origins of the Museum of Modern Art
  10. ^ "F. Crowninshield is Dead Here at 75; Advisor to Conde Nast Firm—Introduced French Modernist Painters to This Country". The New York Times. December 29, 1947. Retrieved October 29, 2010.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Crowninshield.
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