Tatler
Encyclopedia
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele
in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications
focusing on the glamorous lives and lifestyles of the upper class
. A 300th anniversary party for the magazine was held in October 2009.
The original Tatler was founded in 1709 by Richard Steele
, who used the nom de plume "Isaac Bickerstaff
, Esquire", the first such consistently adopted journalistic persona
, which adapted to the first person, as it were, the 17th-century genre of "characters", as first established in English by Sir Thomas Overbury
and soon to be expanded by Lord Shaftesbury
's Characteristics (1711). Steele's idea was to publish the news and gossip heard in London coffeehouses, hence the title, and seemingly, from the opening paragraph, to leave the subject of politics to the newspapers, while presenting Whiggish views and correcting middle-class manners, while instructing "these Gentlemen, for the most part being Persons of strong Zeal, and weak Intellects...what to think." To assure complete coverage of local gossip, a reporter was placed in each of the city's popular coffeehouses, or at least such were the datelines: accounts of manners and mores were datelined from White's
; literary notes from Will
's; notes of antiquarian interest were dated from the Grecian Coffee House
; and news items from St. James’s Coffee House.
In its first incarnation, it was published three times a week. The original Tatler was published for only two years, from 12 April 1709 to 2 January 1711. A collected edition was published in 1710–11, with the title The Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq. Two months after the final edition, Steele and Joseph Addison
, another major contributor to Tatler, co-founded The Spectator
magazine.
James Watson, who had previously reprinted the London Tatler in Edinburgh
, began his own Tatler there on 13 January 1711, with "Donald Macstaff of the North" replacing Isaac Bickerstaffe.
Three months after the original Tatler was first published, an unknown woman writer using the pen name "Mrs. Crackenthorpe" published what was called the Female Tatler. Scholars from the 1960s to the 1990s thought the anonymous woman might have been Delarivier Manley
, but she was subsequently ruled out as author and the woman remains unknown. However, its run was much shorter: the magazine ran for less than a year—from 8 July 1709 to 31 March 1710. The London Tatler and the Northern Tatler were later 18th-century imitations. The Tatler Reviv'd ran for 17 issues from October 1727 to January 1728; another publication of the same name had six issues in March 1750.
On 4 September 1830, Leigh Hunt launched The Tatler: A Daily Journal of Literature and the Stage. He edited it till 13 February 1832, and others continued it till 20 October 1832.
. For some time a weekly publication, it had a subtitle varying on "an illustrated journal of society and the drama" It contained news and pictures of high society balls, charity events, race meetings, shooting parties, fashion and gossip, with cartoon
s by "The Tout" and H. M. Bateman
.
In 1940, it absorbed The Bystander. In 1961, Illustrated Newspapers, which published Tatler, The Sphere, and The Illustrated London News, was bought by Roy Thomson
. In 1965, Tatler was rebranded London Life. In 1968, it was bought by Guy Wayte's Illustrated County Magazine group and the Tatler name restored. Wayte's group had a number of county
magazines in the style of Tatler, each of which mixed the same syndicated content with county-specific local content. Wayte, "a moustachioed playboy of a conman" was convicted of fraud
in 1980 for inflating the Tatlers circulation figures from 15,000 to 49,000.
It was sold and relaunched as a monthly magazine in 1977, called Tatler & Bystander till 1982. Tina Brown
, editor 1979–83, created a vibrant and youthful Tatler and is credited with putting the edge, the irony and the wit back into what was then an almost moribund social title. She referred to it as an upper class comic and by increasing its influence and circulation made it an interesting enough operation for the then owner, Gary Bogard, to sell to the Publishers Condé Nast
. She was subsequently airlifted to New York to another Condé Nast title, Vanity Fair
.
Several editors later and a looming recession and the magazine was once again ailing and Jane Procter was brought in to re-invent the title for the 1990s. With a sound appreciation of the times – the need for bite not bitch – plus intriguing, newsworthy and gently satirical content, she succeeded in making Tatler a glamorous must-read way beyond its previous social remit. The circulation tripled to over 90,000 – its highest ever figure, although this figure was exceeded five years later by Geordie Greig. The magazine created various supplements including The Travel and Restaurant Guides, the often referred to and closely watched Most Invited and The Little Black Book lists, and the hugely popular parties that accompanied them.
The Irish Tatler was founded by H. Crawford Hartnell in 1890 as The Lady of the House, and later renamed Irish Sketch and Irish Tatler and Sketch. Noelle Campbell Sharp renamed it IT in 1979. She sold it to Robert Maxwell
in 1989; Smurfit publications bought it after Maxwell's death. It is now Irish Tatler.
Ulster Tatler has been published in Belfast
since 1966.
The New York Tatler Social Digest merged in 1929 with the American Sketch to give Tatler and American Sketch. John S. Schem closed the magazine in 1933 after legal trouble arising from its grading of New York débutante
s, on a scale running "A", "B", "C", "D", and "E–Z".
Richard Steele
Sir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator....
in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications
Condé Nast Publications
Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
focusing on the glamorous lives and lifestyles of the upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
. A 300th anniversary party for the magazine was held in October 2009.
1709 journal
Richard Steele
Sir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator....
, who used the nom de plume "Isaac Bickerstaff
Isaac Bickerstaff
Isaac Bickerstaff Esq was a pseudonym used by Jonathan Swift as part of a hoax to predict the death of then famous Almanac–maker and astrologer John Partridge....
, Esquire", the first such consistently adopted journalistic persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
, which adapted to the first person, as it were, the 17th-century genre of "characters", as first established in English by Sir Thomas Overbury
Thomas Overbury
Sir Thomas Overbury was an English poet and essayist, and the victim of one of the most sensational crimes in English history...
and soon to be expanded by Lord Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury was an English politician, philosopher and writer.-Biography:...
's Characteristics (1711). Steele's idea was to publish the news and gossip heard in London coffeehouses, hence the title, and seemingly, from the opening paragraph, to leave the subject of politics to the newspapers, while presenting Whiggish views and correcting middle-class manners, while instructing "these Gentlemen, for the most part being Persons of strong Zeal, and weak Intellects...what to think." To assure complete coverage of local gossip, a reporter was placed in each of the city's popular coffeehouses, or at least such were the datelines: accounts of manners and mores were datelined from White's
White's
White's is a London gentlemen's club, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco . Originally it was established to sell hot chocolate, a rare and expensive commodity at the time...
; literary notes from Will
Will
Will may refer to:* Shall and will, the word will as a modal verb* Will , instructions for the disposition of one's property after death...
's; notes of antiquarian interest were dated from the Grecian Coffee House
Grecian Coffee House
The Grecian Coffee House was first established in about 1665 at Wapping Old Stairs in London, England, by a Greek former mariner called George Constantine. The enterprise proved a success and by 1677 Constantine had been able to move his premises to a more central location in Devereux Court, off...
; and news items from St. James’s Coffee House.
In its first incarnation, it was published three times a week. The original Tatler was published for only two years, from 12 April 1709 to 2 January 1711. A collected edition was published in 1710–11, with the title The Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq. Two months after the final edition, Steele and Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
, another major contributor to Tatler, co-founded The Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
magazine.
Subsequent incarnations
Several later journals revived the name Tatler. Three short series are preserved in the Burney Collection:- Morphew, the original printer, continued to produce further issues in 1711 under the "Isaac Bickerstaffe" name from 4 January (No. 272) to 17 May (No. 330).
- A single issue (numbered 1) of a rival Tatler was published by Baldwin on 11 January 1711.
- In 1753–4, several issues by "William Bickerstaffe, nephew of the late Isaac Bickerstaffe" were published.
James Watson, who had previously reprinted the London Tatler in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, began his own Tatler there on 13 January 1711, with "Donald Macstaff of the North" replacing Isaac Bickerstaffe.
Three months after the original Tatler was first published, an unknown woman writer using the pen name "Mrs. Crackenthorpe" published what was called the Female Tatler. Scholars from the 1960s to the 1990s thought the anonymous woman might have been Delarivier Manley
Delarivier Manley
Delarivier Manley was an English novelist of amatory fiction, playwright, and political pamphleteer...
, but she was subsequently ruled out as author and the woman remains unknown. However, its run was much shorter: the magazine ran for less than a year—from 8 July 1709 to 31 March 1710. The London Tatler and the Northern Tatler were later 18th-century imitations. The Tatler Reviv'd ran for 17 issues from October 1727 to January 1728; another publication of the same name had six issues in March 1750.
On 4 September 1830, Leigh Hunt launched The Tatler: A Daily Journal of Literature and the Stage. He edited it till 13 February 1832, and others continued it till 20 October 1832.
Modern magazine
The current publication, named after Steele's periodical, was introduced on 3 July 1901 by Clement Shorter, publisher of The SphereThe Sphere (newspaper)
The Sphere was a British newspaper, published weekly from 27 January 1900 until the closure of the paper on 27 June 1964; the first issue came out at the height of the Boer War and was no doubt a product of that conflict and the public appetite for images...
. For some time a weekly publication, it had a subtitle varying on "an illustrated journal of society and the drama" It contained news and pictures of high society balls, charity events, race meetings, shooting parties, fashion and gossip, with cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s by "The Tout" and H. M. Bateman
H. M. Bateman
Henry Mayo Bateman was a British humorous artist and cartoonist.H. M. Bateman was noted for his "The Man Who..." series of cartoons, featuring comically exaggerated reactions to minor and usually upper-class social gaffes, such as "The Man Who Lit His Cigar Before the Loyal Toast", "The Man Who...
.
In 1940, it absorbed The Bystander. In 1961, Illustrated Newspapers, which published Tatler, The Sphere, and The Illustrated London News, was bought by Roy Thomson
Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet
Roy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet GBE was a Canadian newspaper proprietor and media entrepreneur.-Career:...
. In 1965, Tatler was rebranded London Life. In 1968, it was bought by Guy Wayte's Illustrated County Magazine group and the Tatler name restored. Wayte's group had a number of county
Counties of the United Kingdom
The counties of the United Kingdom are subnational divisions of the United Kingdom, used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. By the Middle Ages counties had become established as a unit of local government, at least in England. By the early 17th century all...
magazines in the style of Tatler, each of which mixed the same syndicated content with county-specific local content. Wayte, "a moustachioed playboy of a conman" was convicted of fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
in 1980 for inflating the Tatlers circulation figures from 15,000 to 49,000.
It was sold and relaunched as a monthly magazine in 1977, called Tatler & Bystander till 1982. Tina Brown
Tina Brown
Tina Brown, Lady Evans, CBE , is a journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host and author of The Diana Chronicles, a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales. Born a British citizen, she took United States citizenship in 2005 after emigrating in 1984 to edit Vanity Fair...
, editor 1979–83, created a vibrant and youthful Tatler and is credited with putting the edge, the irony and the wit back into what was then an almost moribund social title. She referred to it as an upper class comic and by increasing its influence and circulation made it an interesting enough operation for the then owner, Gary Bogard, to sell to the Publishers Condé Nast
Condé Nast Publications
Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
. She was subsequently airlifted to New York to another Condé Nast title, Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
.
Several editors later and a looming recession and the magazine was once again ailing and Jane Procter was brought in to re-invent the title for the 1990s. With a sound appreciation of the times – the need for bite not bitch – plus intriguing, newsworthy and gently satirical content, she succeeded in making Tatler a glamorous must-read way beyond its previous social remit. The circulation tripled to over 90,000 – its highest ever figure, although this figure was exceeded five years later by Geordie Greig. The magazine created various supplements including The Travel and Restaurant Guides, the often referred to and closely watched Most Invited and The Little Black Book lists, and the hugely popular parties that accompanied them.
The Little Black Book
One of Tatler's most talked about annual features is The Little Black Book. An annual compilation of the 100 most eligible below-thirty-somethings in London. It is generally made up of an assortment of heirs, aristocrats and European royalty.Past editors
| Clement Shorter | 1901– | |
| Edward Peter Huskinson | 1908–40 | Killed in 1941 by a train at Savernake Savernake Savernake may refer to:* Savernake, New South Wales, Australia* Savernake Forest, a privately owned forest in the county of Wiltshire, England* Savernake Low Level railway station, a closed station on the Great Western Railway between Bedwyn and Pewsey... station. |
| Reginald Stewart Hooper | 1940–45 | Died in office. Previously editor of The Bystander from 1932. |
| Col. Sean Fielding | 1946–54 | later of the Daily Express Daily Express The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers... |
| Lt-Col. Philip Youngman-Carter | 1954–57 | earlier worked for Fielding as editor of Soldier Soldier Magazine SOLDIER Magazine, the official monthly publication of the British Army, is produced by an in-house team and published by the Ministry of Defence... |
| Mark Boxer Mark Boxer Charles Mark Edward Boxer was a British magazine editor and social observer, and a political cartoonist and graphic portrait artist working under the pen-name ‘Marc’.-Personal life:... |
1965 | Officially "editorial director" of London Life. He was also the Times The Times The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International... political cartoonist and creator of the Sunday Times magazine |
| Ian Howard | 1965– | |
| Robert Innes-Smith | 1968 | |
| Leslie Field | 1978– | The first woman, and only American, editor. |
| Tina Brown Tina Brown Tina Brown, Lady Evans, CBE , is a journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host and author of The Diana Chronicles, a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales. Born a British citizen, she took United States citizenship in 2005 after emigrating in 1984 to edit Vanity Fair... |
1979–83 | |
| Libby Purves Libby Purves Libby Purves OBE is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. A diplomat's daughter, she was educated at convent schools in Israel, Bangkok, South Africa and France, and then Beechwood Sacred Heart School in Tunbridge Wells.Purves won a scholarship to St Anne's College, Oxford, where she... |
1983 | |
| Mark Boxer | 1983–88 | Second term; retired just before his death from brain cancer. |
| Emma Soames Emma Soames Emma Soames is a British editor. She is the granddaughter of Winston Churchill and the one-time girlfriend of Martin Amis. She was a long-serving editor of the Telegraph magazine. She is now the editor-at-large of Saga magazine... |
1988–90 | |
| Jane Procter | 1990–99 | |
| Geordie Greig Geordie Greig Geordie Greig is a British journalist and newspaper editor. He is the editor of the Evening Standard newspaper. He attended Eton College and St Peter's College, Oxford.-Journalism career:... |
1999–2009 | resigned to become editor of the Evening Standard Evening Standard The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London... |
| Catherine Ostler | 2009–2011 | Previously editor of the Evening Standard Evening Standard The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London... s ES magazine, resigned December 2010. |
| Kate Reardon Kate Reardon Kate Reardon is a British journalist, the current editor of Tatler magazine.-Early life:Reardon was born to London architect Patrick Reardon in New York. Her education, however, was 'thoroughly British', attending Garden House, Bute House, Cheltenham Ladies' College and Stowe School... |
2011- | Previously contributing editor of Vanity Fair Vanity Fair (magazine) Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935... and fashion editor of Tatler before that. Also a columnist for the Daily Mail Daily Mail The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982... and The Times The Times The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International... . |
Past contributors
- Isabella BlowIsabella BlowIsabella Blow was an English magazine editor. The muse of hat designer Philip Treacy, she is credited with discovering the models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl as well as the fashion designer Alexander McQueen....
– Contributing fashion editor-at-large - Clare Milford Haven – Social editor
- Diana MitfordDiana MitfordDiana Mitford, Lady Mosley , was one of Britain's noted Mitford sisters. She was married first to Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, and secondly to Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, leader of the British Union of Fascists; her second marriage, in 1936, took place at the...
– commissioned to write a Letters from Paris section in the 1960s. - Christina BroomChristina BroomChristina Broom was a British photographer, credited as "the UK's first female press photographer".-History:Born at 8 King's Road, Chelsea, London, the then-Christina Livingston married Albert Edward Broom in 1889...
– photographer
Present editors
- Kate ReardonKate ReardonKate Reardon is a British journalist, the current editor of Tatler magazine.-Early life:Reardon was born to London architect Patrick Reardon in New York. Her education, however, was 'thoroughly British', attending Garden House, Bute House, Cheltenham Ladies' College and Stowe School...
– Editor - Gerri Gallagher – Associate Editor
- Christopher Whale – Art Director
- Lee Pears – Deputy Art Director
- Kate Chapple – Chief Sub-Editor
- Anna Bromilow – Fashion Director
- Olivia Falcon – Beauty Director
- "Isaac Bickerstaff" – Social Editor
- Nicola Formby – Chief Contributing Editor
- Dorrit MoussaieffDorrit MoussaieffDorrit Moussaieff is an Israeli-born British jewellery designer, editor and businesswoman. She is the First Lady of Iceland, married to Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, president of Iceland.-Biography:...
– Contributing Editor - Tom WolfeTom WolfeThomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
– Contributing Editor - Daisy Prince – Contributing Editor
- Jeremy Wayne – Restaurant Editor
- Tessa Dahl – Contributing Editor
Other editions
There are also 14 Tatlers in Asia – Hong Kong Tatler (launched 1977), Singapore Tatler (1982), Malaysia Tatler (1989), Thailand Tatler (1991), Philippine Tatler (2001), Indonesia Tatler (2000), Beijing Tatler, Shanghai Tatler (both 2001), Macau Tatler, Taiwan Tatler (2008), Chongqing Tatler (2010), Jiangsu Tatler (2010), Sichuan Tatler (2010) and Zhejiang Tatler (2010). The Asian Tatlers are now owned by the Swiss-based Edipresse Group.Unrelated Tatlers
Other magazines named Tatler have no connection to the London magazine or Condé Nast, although their content is a similar mix of fashion and local high-society news.The Irish Tatler was founded by H. Crawford Hartnell in 1890 as The Lady of the House, and later renamed Irish Sketch and Irish Tatler and Sketch. Noelle Campbell Sharp renamed it IT in 1979. She sold it to Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
in 1989; Smurfit publications bought it after Maxwell's death. It is now Irish Tatler.
Ulster Tatler has been published in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
since 1966.
The New York Tatler Social Digest merged in 1929 with the American Sketch to give Tatler and American Sketch. John S. Schem closed the magazine in 1933 after legal trouble arising from its grading of New York débutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
s, on a scale running "A", "B", "C", "D", and "E–Z".
External links
- Official website
- Tatler Russia Official Site
- The Tatler and The Guardian (An 1899 reprint of the first 49 Issues of the 1709 Tatler)