Rosemary Barnsdall Blackmon (September 26, 1921 – October 9, 1983) was an American writer and magazine editor.
Rosemary Barnsdall Blackmon | |
|---|---|
 Rosemary Barnsdall Blackmon, from a 1959 magazine | |
| Born | September 26, 1921 Buffalo, New York, US |
| Died | October 9, 1983 Provence, France |
| Occupation | Editor |
| Known for | managing editor, Vogue (1962-1973); editor, Harper's Bazaar (1973-1978) |
Early life
editRosemary Barnsdall was born in Buffalo, New York as a daughter of Jay Thornton Barnsdall Jr. and Grace L. Devine Barnsdall.[1] Her father was a lawyer. She graduated from Hamburg High School in 1939, and from Barnard College[2] in 1943, where she majored in Latin and Greek, and was the president of the Classical Club.[3][4][5]
Career
editBlackmon worked in editorial and writing jobs after college.[6] Her Latin and Greek degree from Barnard helped her find a job with the American College Dictionary, and that work in turn introduced her to Wilfred J. Funk, with whom she worked on Word Origins and Their Romantic Stories (1950).[7] After her children were born, she returned to editing work, saying "I'm not really domestic and I have no talent for children."[3] She collaborated with photographer Irving Penn and publisher Alexander Liberman on Moments Preserved (1960).[8][9]
Blackmon was managing editor of Vogue from 1962 to 1973, and wrote regularly for the magazine for a longer period,[10][11] with titles like "I Went to the Fair" (1958), about the Expo 58 in Brussels,[12] "The Maugham Explosion at Sotheby's" (1962),[13] "New Japan" (1964),[14][15] and "What Can Hypnosis Do for You" (1969).[16] William Safire suggested Blackmon may have coined the phrase "beautiful people" at Vogue.[17] She was an editor at Harper's Bazaar from 1973 to 1978.[18]
Personal life and legacy
editIn 1945,[19] Rosemary Barnsdall married William A. Blackmon Jr.[3] They had children, Rosemary and William. She died in 1983, aged 62 years, in Provence.[18] A Claire McCardell wool dress and a linen shift dress by B. H. Wragge, both worn by Blackmon, are in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.[20][21]
References
edit- ^ "Grace L. D. Barnsdall". The Sun and the Erie County Independent. 1991-09-19. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-03-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Recent Graduates List Guest Speaker". Poughkeepsie Journal. 1957-04-14. pp. 1B. Retrieved 2021-03-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Mrs. Blackmon of Greenwich Village". Barnard Alumnae Magazine. 48: 11–12, 17. February 1959 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Barnard College (1943). "Classical Club". Mortarboard (Yearbook): 85 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Award Latin Prize". Barnard Bulletin. May 12, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved March 13, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ "Class Notes, 1943". Barnard College Alumnae Magazine. 33: 28. October 1943 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Class Notes 1943". Barnard College Alumnae Magazine. 38: 14. September 1948 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Book Projects". Irving Penn Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ Penn, Irving (1960). Moments Preserved: Eight Essays in Photographs and Words. Simon and Schuster.
- ^ Haslam, Nicholas (2009). Redeeming Features: A Memoir. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-0-307-27167-9.
- ^ "Copy Editor Turns Author". Coronado Eagle and Journal. July 13, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved March 13, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ Blackmon, Rosemary (July 1958). "I Went to the Fair". Vogue | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ Blackmon, Rosemary (June 1962). "The Maugham Explosion". Vogue | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ Blackmon, Rosemary (August 15, 1964). "New Japan". Vogue | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ Editors of American Vogue (2019-10-29). Vogue on Location: People, Places, Portraits. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-68335-661-5.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Blackmon, Rosemary (January 15, 1969). "What Can Hypnosis Do for You". Vogue | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ Safire, William (2012-01-04). Coming to Terms. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-80059-6.
- ^ a b "Rosemary B. Blackmon". The New York Times. 1983-10-12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ^ "Class Notes, 1943". Barnard College Alumnae Magazine. 35: 24. October 1945 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Dress comprising blouse and skirt in raw umber and black fine gauge herringbone worsted wool - Claire McCardell". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2021-03-13.[dead link]
- ^ "Dress in cocoa brown plain-weave linen with black mod stripe - B.H. Wragge". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2021-03-13.[dead link]
