BAZAAR Covers: A Collection

140 years in the making

While in Barnes and Noble getting my magazine fix, I came across the Collector's Edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine covers.  Harper's Bazaar is the oldest continuously published magazine in the world, and the collector's edition features many popular covers from 1867 (above) to today.  Notice the magazine starts out with two a's in Bazar, not three like we are accustomed to.  Can you imagine the copy below in today's world?  A lot has changed since 1902.

Lilian Westcott Hale, American artist (1881-1963), created this iconic cover.  The signed pencil and colored chalk on paper original is presently being auctioned off by Christie's, estimated at $7,000.00-$8,000.00.

Erte, aka Romain de Tirtoff, began a 22 year relationship with the magazine.  This exposure and his influence led to an entire movement called Art Deco.

Diana Vreeland and Carmel "Elegance is good taste with a dash of daring" Snow, turned Bazaar into the most admired magazine of the last century.  They were responsible for discovering some of the now household names we have come to know:  Andy Warhol, Lauren Bacall, Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, and Christobal Balenciaga to name a few.   Diana Vreeland remains a style icon to this day.  Was Carmel responsible for the extra a?

As American as apple pie

Liz Tilberis created a cutting edge look to the magazine in the few short years she served as editor.  She died of ovarian cancer and wanted to be known as the anti Anna Wintour.  She was responsible for experimenting with photography and typography.  I remember when Liz was at the helm of the magazine; I liked what she did.  It was also the age of the supermodel.

It was so interesting to look at all these covers and travel through time.  There, laid out in glossy and not so glossy covers is the history of fashion, celebrity, the growth of artists and designers, and news-worthy stories.  I hardly noticed I was late for an appointment.

Bazaar Covers