Wikipedia

Virginia Pope

Virginia Hamilton Pope (June 29, 1885 – January 16, 1978) was an American journalist and writer. She was the first fashion editor of The New York Times, from 1933 to 1955. She also taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Virginia Pope
A young white woman with short dark hair
Virginia Pope, from her 1918 passport application
Born
Virginia Hamilton Pope

June 29, 1885
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 1978 (age 92)
New York, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Writer, editor, journalist, educator
Known forFirst fashion editor of The New York Times

Early life and education

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Pope was born in Chicago, the daughter of Francis Pope and Betty Hamilton Pope. As a girl she lived in Europe with her widowed mother, and learned to speak French, German, and Italian.[1]

Career

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Pope worked for the Red Cross in France during World War I, and spent some time as a resident at Hull House. She appeared on stage as a dancer with Yvette Guilbert as a young woman. She began writing about cultural events in New York City, using her language skills to interview visiting German singers, or to learn about Christmas traditions from Italy.[1]

Pope began writing for The New York Times in 1925, and was the paper's first fashion editor, holding that title from 1933 to 1955.[2] She was a founding member of Fashion Group International, along with Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Arden, Edith Head, Helena Rubinstein, and other notables; the organization was intended to promote the work of American designers during the Great Depression.[3] She launched the annual Fashions of the Times showcase in 1942.[4]

Pope was elected president of the New York Newspaperwomen's Club in 1944 and 1945,[5][6][7] and attended the annual Met Gala.[1] In 1948, she received an award from the Educational Foundation of the Apparel Industry, for her "outstanding contributions to the fashion industry".[8] In 1951, she was elected president of Fashion Group, Inc.[9] In 1953 Pope covered the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[10]

After she retired from The New York Times, Pope was fashion editor of Parade magazine, beginning in 1956.[11][12] Later in life she taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology,[1] where a scholarship was named for her in 1959.[13] In 1967 she appeared on a panel about "Handicapped Homemakers" at the annual meeting of the President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped, speaking to the need to consider disability in clothing and fabric design.[14]

Publications

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  • "The Middle-Aged Woman in Business" (1926)[15]
  • "Cottons at Home" (1943)[16]
  • "Ivan's Wife Will See These American Fashions" (1959)[17]
  • "Tops for Summer" (1965)[18]
  • "Fashions to Dream In" (1967)[19]

Personal life

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Pope attended the Metropolitan Opera weekly, often with students in tow. She owned hundreds of hats, and once confessed, "I'm a drunkard for hats; I cannot bear to throw one away." She died in 1978, at her home in New York City, at the age of 92.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Morris, Bernadine (January 17, 1978). "Virginia Pope, 92, Fashion Editor Of The Times 22 Years, Is Dead; Post at Parade Magazine News in Wholesale Fashions". The New York Times. p. 36. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  2. ^ "Virginia Pope, 1886-1978". Women's Activism NYC. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  3. ^ Sterlacci, Francesca; Arbuckle, Joanne (2017-06-30). Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 7, 387. ISBN 978-1-4422-3909-8.
  4. ^ Goldstein, Richard (2010-04-13). Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II. Simon and Schuster. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-4165-9302-7.
  5. ^ "Newspaper Women Elect; Virginia Pope Is Chosen to Head Club for Coming Year". The New York Times. May 20, 1943. p. 24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  6. ^ Voss, Kimberly Wilmot (2021-08-05). Newspaper Fashion Editors in the 1950s and 60s: Women Writers of the Runway. Springer Nature. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-3-030-73624-8.
  7. ^ "Virginia Pope Narrator for Dallas-Made Fashions at October Fair Park Show". The Cameron Herald. 1951-10-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-09-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Award Presented to Virginia Pope; Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry Receives $11,463 From Times Show". The New York Times. December 16, 1948. p. 33. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  9. ^ "Virginia Pope Named Fashion Group Head". The New York Times. December 6, 1951. p. 55. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  10. ^ Cunningham, Bill (October 24, 1993). "Our Miss Pope". The New York Times. pp. 62–65. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  11. ^ "Top Fashion Authority Writes for Parade and Herald Readers". The Miami Herald. 1958-06-20. p. 68. Retrieved 2024-09-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Fashion is Her Dish". The Columbus Ledger. 1956-05-06. p. 74. Retrieved 2024-09-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Virginia Pope Honored". The New York Times. November 20, 1959. p. 27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  14. ^ Annett-Hitchcock, Kate (2023-10-05). The Intersection of Fashion and Disability: A Historical Analysis. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-14313-5.
  15. ^ Pope, Virginia. "The Middle-Aged Woman in Business" The Woman Citizen 10(13)(April 1926): 10-11, 43.
  16. ^ Pope, Virginia (February 7, 1943). "Cottons at Home". The New York Times. pp. 56, 152. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  17. ^ Pope, Virginia (1959-07-12). "Ivan's Wife Will See These American Fashions". Buffalo Courier Express. p. 168. Retrieved 2024-09-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Tops for Summer". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1965-06-06. p. 151. Retrieved 2024-09-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Fashions to Dream In". Press and Sun-Bulletin. 1967-08-27. p. 68. Retrieved 2024-09-20 – via Newspapers.com.
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