Frank Crowninshield

Frank Crowninshield (1872–1947) was an American editor, art critic and collector who edited Vanity Fair Vanity FairVanity Fair is a magazine and digital media brand owned by Condé Nast, covering politics, business, arts and culture, entertainment and fashion. The title traces back to Dress & Vanity Fair in 1913, ceased publication in 1936 and was relaunched in 1983; it has since built a historical digital archive and hosts events such as its Oscar party.Open the full entry at Condé Montrose Nast Condé Montrose NastCondé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) was an American magazine publisher and the founder of Condé Nast Publications. After running advertising for Collier’s Weekly, he bought Vogue in 1909 and went on to publish House & Garden and Vanity Fair, championing the “class publication” aimed at a defined readership; he lost control of his company after the 1929 stock market crash.Open the full entry’s invitation from 1914 until it merged into Vogue in 1936, focusing it on theater, art, literature and sports; he was also one of the original seven trustees of the Museum of Modern Art.

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Key facts

1872Born in Paris

Brooklyn Museum Archives record that Frank Crowninshield was born in Paris on June 24, 1872, and died in New York on December 28, 1947, listing his occupations as journalist, art critic, theater critic, periodical editor and art collector.⁠[1]

1913–1936Editing Vanity Fair

Around 1913 Condé Montrose Nast asked him to edit the newly acquired Vanity Fair. He accepted on condition that the magazine carry no women’s fashion and concentrate on theater, art, literature and sports, declaring that it would make frequent appeals to women readers’ intellects. He disliked advertising and once cut the “Well-Dressed Man” column to four pages a year, which Nast insisted be restored.⁠[2]

In 1921 he moved into Nast’s Park Avenue apartment; the two went to parties, theaters and the opera together and hosted gatherings of artists and society figures that gave rise to what was called café society. Vanity Fair merged into Vogue in 1936.⁠[2]

1929Original Trustee of the Museum of Modern Art

A Museum of Modern Art press release of October 31, 1935, states that Crowninshield was one of the museum’s original seven trustees and that his resignation was accepted on May 9, 1935; as a collector, writer and editor he had done much to introduce living artists to the public, and as editor of Vanity Fair he had continuously supported modern art. The museum made him an honorary trustee for life.⁠[3]

Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts

Vanity Fair: Official website: https://www.vanityfair.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[4]

Condé Nast Condé NastCondé Nast is a global media company based in New York whose brands include Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ and Wired. It grew out of the publishing business Condé Montrose Nast built after buying Vogue in 1909, was acquired by Samuel I. Newhouse in 1959 and belongs to Advance, the Newhouse family’s private company. After Roger Lynch stepped down as chief executive in September 2026, lead independent director Mike Perlis became interim CEO.Open the full entry: Official website: https://www.condenast.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[5]