Helen Valentine (1893–1986) was the founder and editor in chief of Seventeen and Charm magazines.[1]
Helen Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Born | Helen Rose Lachman 1893 |
| Died | 1986 (aged 92–93) |
| Occupation(s) | Magazine editor Copy writer |
| Employers | |
| Known for | Founder of Seventeen |
| Title | President of "The Fashion Group International" (1948-1949) |
| Spouse | Herbert Valentine |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Sam Kass (great-grandson) |
Early life and education
editBorn Helen Rose Lachman in Manhattan,[2] she was the only child of German Jewish immigrants.[3][4] Her father Gustave was an accountant and her mother Bertha (née Kahn) was a homemaker.[3] Although she attended temple with her mother and went to Jewish Sunday school, her family also celebrated Christmas.[3] She graduated from the Ethical Culture School and Barnard College.[2]
Career
editAfter school, she worked in the magazine industry.[5] Beginning as a part-time copy writer for Lord & Thomas, Valentine was among the first fired from the advertising firm when the Great Depression began.[6]
In 1944, while serving as promotion director for Mademoiselle magazine at Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications, she was asked by Annenberg to help revive a movie magazine.[2] Although the concept of "teenager" as a distinct demographic segment of the population was a relatively new idea at that time,[5] Valentine proposed a magazine for teen-age girls.[2] Noticing the wide popularity of a King Features Syndicate comic strip by cartoonist Hilda Terry that focused on the trials and tribulations of a typical teenager's life entitled Teena which began running in July 1944, Valentine convinced Annenberg that teenage girls needed a magazine of their own.[5] Valentine believed that teenage girls were an underserved demographic and had the potential to become an important and lucrative new consumer market segment.[5] She stated that "it was time to treat children as adults."[2] The magazine was launched in September 1944[5] and within eighteen months, Seventeen had a circulation of a million.[2] Seventeen is credited with creating a teen market for clothing manufacturers and other industries.[2]
From 1948-1949, Valentine served as president of Fashion Group International, an organization created in the 1930s by a group of business women working in fashion.[7]
In 1950, she accepted a job with Street & Smith to revamp a fading women's magazine called Charm which she re-configured into the country's first fashion magazine for working women.[2] Valentine focused on another demographic she believed was not represented by current magazines: married women who work. Charm was eventually merged into Glamour magazine after being bought by Conde Nast Publications.[2]
One of Valentine's talks, "How to Keep More of the Money You Earn" was published in the second session of the 83rd Congress (1954). because of Henry M. Jackson, a senator from Washington State. This talk contributed to legislation that would grant tax relief to married women who work.[6][8]
In 1958, Valentine was hired by Good Housekeeping magazine to write a column, Young Wife's World, where she remained until she retired in 1963.[2]
Personal life
editValentine was married to banker Herbert Valentine (died 1978).[2][9] She had two children: Barbara Valentine Hertz and Barry Valentine.[2][10] Her granddaughter, Valentine Hertz Kass[3] was one of the first women producer/directors at KQED in San Francisco, the first director of the Navy Pier IMAX Theater, and the founding director of the American Children's Television Festival.[11][12] Her great-grandson, Sam Kass, served as Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor For Nutrition Policy.[13] Valentine died in 1986 in Miami at her daughter's home.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Helen Valentine, Former Editor". Sun Sentinel. November 16, 1986. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ennis, Thomas W. (November 15, 1986). "Helen Valentine, 93; Founded Seventeen, Editor of Magazines". New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Massoni, Kelley Bringing Up "baby": The Birth and Early Development of "Seventeen" Magazine 2007
- ^ Women's Studies Librarian's Office: "Archival Resources on the History of Jewish Women in America" Archived 2012-02-23 at the Wayback Machine retrieved July 6, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Massoni, Kelley (March 2006). "'Teena Goes to Market': Seventeen Magazine and the Early Construction of the Teen Girl (As) Consumer" (PDF). The Journal of American Culture. 29, Number 1 (Theme Issue). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Quentin (1955). The fiction factory, or From Pulp Row to Quality Street. Random House. OCLC 906097955.
- ^ "archives.nypl.org -- Fashion Group International records". archives.nypl.org. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1954.
- ^ New York Times: "Miss Lachman Marries H. Valentine at Home Instead of at St. Regis" February 06, 1920
- ^ New York Times: "David Hertz Obituary" July 6, 2014
- ^ 8th World Conference of Science Journalists: "Valentine Kass, Program Director Informal Science Education program, National Science Foundation, US - So you want to do science documentaries? Tips and tricks for journalists willing to tell their story in film" June 24, 2013
- ^ Friends Seminary: "Valentine Hertz Kass ’64" Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine retrieved July 7, 2014
- ^ Chicago Sun Times: "Sam Kass, White House chef; exclusive interview" by Lynn Sweet Archived 2014-09-06 at the Wayback Machine November 8, 2009