''Vanity Fair'' has been the title of at least five magazines, including an 1859–1863 American publication, an unrelated 1868–1914 British publication, an unrelated 1902–1904 New York magazine, and a 1913–1936 American publication edited by

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The company's m ...

, which was revived in 1983. Vanity Fair is notably a fictitious place ruled by

Beelzebub Beelzebub ( ; he, ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ'') or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name ''Beelzebub'' is associated with the Can ...

in the book ''

Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a progenitor of ...

'' by

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

. Later use of the name was influenced by the well-known 1847–48 novel of the same name by

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel ''Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

''Vanity Fair'' (1859–1863), American

The first magazine bearing the name ''Vanity Fair'' appeared in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

as a humorous weekly, from 1859 to 1863. The magazine was financed by Frank J. Thompson, and was edited by William Allen Stephens and Henry Louis Stephens. The magazine's stature may be indicated by its contributors, which included Thomas Bailey Aldrich,

William Dean Howells William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ...

Fitz-James O'Brien Fitz James O'Brien (also spelled Fitz-James; 25 October 1826 – 6 April 1862) was an Irish-American Civil War soldier, writer, and poet often cited as an early writer of science fiction. Biography O'Brien was born Michael O'Brien in Cork, Irela ...

and Charles Farrar Browne.

''Vanity Fair'' (1868–1914), British

The second ''Vanity Fair'' was published from 1868 to 1914 in Britain as a weekly magazine. Subtitled "A Weekly Show of Political, Social and Literary Wares", it was founded by

Thomas Gibson Bowles Thomas Gibson Bowles (15 January 1842 – 12 January 1922), known generally as Tommy Bowles, was an English publisher and parliamentarian. He founded the magazines '' The Lady'' and the English '' Vanity Fair'', and became a Member of Parliam ...

, who aimed to expose the contemporary vanities of Victorian society. Colonel Fred Burnaby provided £100 of the original £200 capital, and suggested the title ''Vanity Fair'' after Thackeray's popular satire on British society. The first issue appeared in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on November 7, 1868. It offered its readership articles on fashion, current events, the theatre, books, social events and the latest scandals, together with serial fiction,

word game Word games (also called word game puzzles or word search games) are spoken, board, or video games often designed to test ability with language or to explore its properties. Word games are generally used as a source of entertainment, but can ...

s and other trivia. Bowles wrote much of the magazine himself under various pseudonyms such as "Jehu Junior", but contributors included

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

, Willie Wilde, P. G. Wodehouse, Jessie Pope and Bertram Fletcher Robinson, with the latter editor from June 1904 to October 1906. A full-page, color lithograph of a contemporary celebrity or dignitary appeared in most issues, and it is for these

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

s that ''Vanity Fair'' is best known today. Subjects included artists, athletes, royalty, statesmen, scientists, authors, actors, soldiers, religious personalities, business people and scholars. More than two thousand of these images appeared, and they are considered the chief cultural legacy of the magazine, forming a pictorial record of the period. The final issue of the British ''Vanity Fair'' appeared on February 5, 1914.

''Vanity Fair'' (1902–1904), American

The Commonwealth Publishing Company of 110 West 42nd Street,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

published ''Vanity Fair'', also a weekly magazine. The publisher was incorporated in February 1902 and went into bankruptcy in April 1904.

''Vanity Fair'' (1913–1936), American

Another American ''Vanity Fair'' was edited by Condé Montrose Nast from 1913 until 1936, when it was merged into ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''.

''Vanity Fair'' (1983–present), American

Nast's magazine was revived in 1983 by

Condé Nast Publications Condé is a French place name and personal name. It is ultimately derived from a Celtic word, "Condate", meaning "confluence" (of two rivers) - from which was derived the Romanised form "Condatum", in use during the Roman period, and thence to t ...

. The current ''Vanity Fair'' is a monthly American magazine of pop culture, fashion, and politics published by

References

External links

* * * *{{Commons category-inline, Vanity Fair (US magazine 1913–36) Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Weekly magazines published in the United States it:Vanity Fair (rivista inglese)