The name ''Vanity Fair'' has been the title of at least five magazines from the 19th century to the present day, where, since 1983, it has been used by the American popular culture magazine published by Condé Nast. The first ''Vanity Fair'' was an American publication that ran from 1859 to 1863; after which a second, unrelated British publication was in print from 1868 to 1914; a third short-lived American magazine of the name was printed in New York between 1902 and 1904; and the fourth was an American publication edited by Condé Nast beginning in 1913, which would ultimately be merged into Nast's larger venture ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' in 1936—all four were published independently with no relation to each other. The ''Vanity Fair'' name was revived by

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...

as its own magazine in 1983, making it the fifth magazine to use the name and only one still in print. Vanity Fair is notably a fictitious place ruled by

Beelzebub Ba'al Zabub , Ba'al Zvuv or Beelzebub ( ; ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ''), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted ...

in the book ''

The 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 commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant devotional literature and of wider early moder ...

'' by

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...

. 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 an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...

''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 (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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 Henry Louis Stephens (February 11, 1824 – December 13, 1882) was an American illustrator and editorial cartoonist. Art career Henry Louis Stephens was born in Philadelphia in 1824. Around 1859, he went to New York under an engagement with Fran ...

. The magazine's stature may be indicated by its contributors, which included

Thomas Bailey Aldrich Thomas Bailey Aldrich ( ; November 11, 1836 – March 19, 1907) was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt ...

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

, Fitz-James O'Brien and

Charles Farrar Browne Charles Farrar Browne (April 26, 1834 – March 6, 1867) was an American humor writer, better known under his ''nom de plume'', Artemus Ward, which as a character, an illiterate rube with "Yankee common sense", Browne also played in public perfo ...

''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 1841 – 12 January 1922) was a British politician and publisher. He founded the magazines '' The Lady'' and '' Vanity Fair'', and became a Member of Parliament in 1892. He was also the maternal grandfather o ...

, who aimed to expose the contemporary vanities of

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 are spoken, board, card 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 additionally serve an educational purpose. Young ...

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, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

Willie Wilde William Charles Kingsbury Wilde (26 September 1852 – 13 March 1899) was an Irish journalist and poet of the Victorian era. He was the older brother of Oscar Wilde. Background Willie was the oldest son born into an Anglo-Irish family, at 21 ...

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

Jessie Pope Jessie Pope (19 March 1868 – 14 December 1941) was an English poet, writer, and journalist, who remains best known for her patriotic, motivational poems published during World War I.''Minds at War'' the Poetry and Experience of the First worl ...

and

Bertram Fletcher Robinson Bertram Fletcher Robinson (22 August 1870 – 21 January 1907) was an English sportsperson, sportsman, journalist, editor, author and Liberal Unionist Party activist. During his life-time, he wrote at least three hundred items, including a ser ...

, 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 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 ...

from 1913 until 1936, when it was merged into ''

''.

''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 ...

. 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