Betsy Talbot Blackwell ( Talbot, 1905? – February 4, 1985) was an American editor of women's magazines, best known for being the editor-in-chief of Mademoiselle from 1937 to 1971. Under her leadership, the magazine's circulation grew steadily, eventually reaching nearly one million by the time she retired. She introduced a literary aspect to the magazine, publishing writers such as William Faulkner and Joyce Carol Oates; and she introduced a guest editorship program, which included such writers as Barbara Chase-Riboud and Sylvia Plath.
Early life and education Betsy Talbot was born in New York City to Hayden Talbot, a playwright and author, and Benedict B. Talbot, a stylist at the department store Lord & Taylor. She never disclosed her true age, but staff working for her guessed that she was born in 1905.Bren, p. 34 Her father left the family when she was seven years old; she never saw him again.Rayner, p. 40 Blackwell acknowledged that her mother was a "fantastic role model" who taught her self-reliance by working to support the family, making it seem natural that she would pursue a career.Rayner, pp. 40–41 She was educated at the Academy of Saint Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey, a Catholic girls' school, though she was not a Catholic but a Presbyterian. During her vacation, she worked as a comparison shopper for Lord & Taylor.
Career Blackwell began her career as a fashion reporter before becoming an assistant fashion editor at the new magazine Charm from 1923 to 1928, published by the Newark, New Jersey, department store Bamberger's. She was attracted by the relatively high salary and freedom to operate without interference from management.Rayner, p. 41 Two years after joining the magazine, she married Bowden Washington; however, the marriage was soon dissolved over disagreements about her continuing to work.
In 1930, Blackwell married James Madison Blackwell, a lawyer. She chose to retain her maiden name upon marriage and signed herself as "BTB" through most of her career.Bren, p. 91 For the next five years, while raising a son, James, with her husband, Blackwell accepted only special assignments from Tobé Coller Davis, whose Tobé Fashion Service provided a weekly report on trends in the fashion industry.Rayner, p. 42 In 1935, she became the fashion director at the magazine Mademoiselle upon its establishment by the New York City publisher Street & Smith. She initially held two roles at the publication, working also as a beauty editor under the assumed name of "Elizabeth Rich". Blackwell helped revise the fortunes of the new magazine after its initial troubles, which included the recall of the first issue due to its poor quality. She gained publicity by inviting Barbara Phillips, a Boston nurse, to be depicted receiving "new clothes, new hair, a glamorous makeup", in what became the first magazine makeover.
Two years later after joining Mademoiselle, Blackwell was promoted to editor-in-chief, a position she retained until her retirement in 1971. During her tenure at the magazine, she oversaw steady increases in circulation—from 178,000 in 1939 to 540,000 in 1953 to nearly a million in 1971—a change in focus towards young career women and the introduction of a literary aspect to the magazine. Many of the authors published in Mademoiselle during her time as editor-in-chief would become well-known, including Eudora Welty, Truman Capote, William Faulkner, and Joyce Carol Oates. During her editorship, the magazine also started the practice of allowing college women to write and publish an issue each summer. The summer guest editorship program would eventually include such well-known writers as Sylvia Plath,"Biographical file: Betsy Talbot Blackwell, circa 1960s." Box 1. Folder 1. Series III: Personal. American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. Joan Didion, Mona Simpson, Ann Beattie, Francine du Plessix Gray, Meg Wolitzer, Betsey Johnson, Ali MacGraw, and Diane Johnson."My Mademoiselle Summer" Meg Wolitzer, New York Times, July 13, 2013. In 1962, she became a board member of the publisher Street & Smith.Rayner, p. 46
In 1956, Mademoiselle became the first fashion magazine to be guest edited by an African American woman—and the first to feature a photographic image of a black woman—when Barbara Chase-Riboud served as guest editor. Blackwell was reportedly unworried when Chase was mentioned as being in contention for the role and when concerns were raised by the president of Street & Smith upon her eventual selection.Bren, p. 89 However, Blackwell did inform Chase that she could not appear in the fashion show customarily attended by guest editors, telling her "we have these people who are going to make a big fuss".Bren, p. 90 Upon finishing the program, Blackwell secured Chase a paid internship at Charm magazine.Bren, p. 91
In 1970, amidst the burgeoning women's liberation movement, Blackwell published an issue titled "The New Sex," paying tribute to the rise of the individualistic American woman; she was one of the first editors to publish the activist Gloria Steinem, who would become a nationally-recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s. Blackwell has been labelled a reactionary feminist; a 1971 New York Times article opined that her "staunch Republicanism" was the only issue on which her staff ("which, politically, is mainly liberal") disagreed with her—she was a friend of prominent party members such as Thomas E. Dewey.Rayner, p. 44
Death and legacy Blackwell died on February 4, 1985 at the age of 79 while being treated for emphysema at a Norwalk, Connecticut hospital. She was survived by her son and stepdaughter through her marriage to James Madison Blackwell. Papers relating to her life, including her personal and professional correspondence, along with her work at Mademoiselle, were bequeathed by her husband to the American Heritage Center, operated by the University of Wyoming.
Awards and honours In 1942, Blackwell received the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for her contributions to fashion, and in 1949 became the first woman to be elected to the board of the New York City publisher Street & Smith (the publisher of Mademoiselle).
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External links Betsy Talbot Blackwell Papers at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.