Ernestine Carter
Encyclopedia
Ernestine Carter OBE (10 October 1906 - 1 August 1983) was a museum curator, journalist, and writer on fashion.
, where she was brought up. She studied modern and contemporary art and design at Wellesley College, Massachusetts
, from which she graduated in 1927. She worked as a curatorial assistant at the newly formed Museum of Modern Art
(MoMA), New York
. Between 1933 and 1937 she was Curator of Architecture and Industrial Art at MoMA. In 1936 she married a British antiquarian
book dealer, John Waynflete Carter (1905-1975)
. The couple went on to live permanently in London
.
, went into five printings. Later in the war, Carter went to work for the American office of war information in London.
, organised by the Council of Industrial Design and held at the Victoria and Albert Museum
in 1946. That same year she became fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar
. Her first trip to Paris for the magazine was to report on Christian Dior
's landmark New Look collection.
From 1952 to 1954 Carter wrote her first newspaper column, a cookery section for The Observer
. She published a cookbook called Flash In The Pan in 1953.
's woman's page. She became well known for the high standard of her journalism and writing, and eventually became associate editor of the paper in 1968. She encouraged the emergence of London as a major centre of fashion in the 1960s. Her intelligent prose and high standards led to her being recognised as an authoritative figure in the world of fashion. At a time when widespread intellectual snobbery led to the dismissal of fashion as a subject not worthy of serious consideration, Carter argued that fashion was "surely no more frivolous than architecture, to which it is closely related".
She was appointed an OBE in 1964.
In 1966, she was invited to select an outfit for the Dress Of The Year
. She was the first individual fashion journalist to be asked to do so.
.
holds an important archive of 2000 fashion photographs from The Sunday Times
during Ernestine Carter's tenure there. This is known as the Sunday Times Fashion Archive. The Museum also own examples of clothing from Carter's wardrobe which illustrate the elegance of her personal style.
Early history
Ernestine Marie Fantl was born on 10 October 1906 in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, where she was brought up. She studied modern and contemporary art and design at Wellesley College, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, from which she graduated in 1927. She worked as a curatorial assistant at the newly formed Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
(MoMA), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Between 1933 and 1937 she was Curator of Architecture and Industrial Art at MoMA. In 1936 she married a British antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
book dealer, John Waynflete Carter (1905-1975)
John Carter (Author)
John Waynflete Carter was an English author, diplomat, bibliographer, book-collector, antiquarian bookseller and Vice-President of the Bibliographical Society of London. After attending Eton College, he studied classics at King's College, Cambridge, where he gained a double first...
. The couple went on to live permanently in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Wartime (1939-1945)
During the Second World War Carter was employed by the British Ministry of Information. She worked on exhibitions and edited a book of photographs called Grim Glory: Pictures of Britain Under Fire (published London, 1941). The book, which included photographs by Lee MillerLee Miller
Elizabeth 'Lee' Miller, Lady Penrose was an American photographer. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1907, she was a successful fashion model in New York City in the 1920s before going to Paris where she became an established fashion and fine art photographer...
, went into five printings. Later in the war, Carter went to work for the American office of war information in London.
Post-War (1946-1955)
Carter worked on the important design exhibition Britain Can Make ItBritain Can Make It
Britain Can Make It was an exhibition of industrial and product design held in London in 1946. It was organized by the Council of Industrial Design, later to become the Design Council....
, organised by the Council of Industrial Design and held at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in 1946. That same year she became fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
. Her first trip to Paris for the magazine was to report on Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
's landmark New Look collection.
From 1952 to 1954 Carter wrote her first newspaper column, a cookery section for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. She published a cookbook called Flash In The Pan in 1953.
Later career (1955-1972)
In 1955, Carter began editing The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
's woman's page. She became well known for the high standard of her journalism and writing, and eventually became associate editor of the paper in 1968. She encouraged the emergence of London as a major centre of fashion in the 1960s. Her intelligent prose and high standards led to her being recognised as an authoritative figure in the world of fashion. At a time when widespread intellectual snobbery led to the dismissal of fashion as a subject not worthy of serious consideration, Carter argued that fashion was "surely no more frivolous than architecture, to which it is closely related".
She was appointed an OBE in 1964.
In 1966, she was invited to select an outfit for the Dress Of The Year
Dress of The Year
The Dress of the Year is an annual fashion award run by the Fashion Museum, Bath from 1963. Each year since 1963, the Museum has asked a fashion journalist to select a dress or outfit that best represents the most important new ideas in contemporary fashion. For 2010 the Museum broke with tradition...
. She was the first individual fashion journalist to be asked to do so.
Retirement and death
After her retirement in 1972, Ernestine Carter wrote several books on fashion history (see Bibliography section). She died on 1 August 1983 at her home in Chelsea, LondonChelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
.
Legacy
The Fashion Museum, BathFashion Museum, Bath
The Fashion Museum is housed in the Assembly Rooms in Bath, Somerset, England.The collection was started by Doris Langley Moore, who gave her collection to the city of Bath in 1963. It focuses on fashionable dress for men, women and children from the late 16th century to the present day and has...
holds an important archive of 2000 fashion photographs from The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
during Ernestine Carter's tenure there. This is known as the Sunday Times Fashion Archive. The Museum also own examples of clothing from Carter's wardrobe which illustrate the elegance of her personal style.
Fashion history
- 20th Century Fashion: a Scrapbook (1975)
- The Changing World of Fashion (1977)
- Magic Names of Fashion (1980)
Autobiography
- With Tongue in Chic (1974)