Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
This February 1959 issue of Harper's Bazaar carries "The Giant Fan," a short story by Paddy Chayefsky, arriving during one of the most critically significant stretches of his career. By this point, Chayefsky had already won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for "Marty" in 1955, and this issue's publication falls squarely between two other major milestones: the 1958 release of "The Goddess," his first original screenplay, which earned him an Oscar nomination, and the opening of "The Tenth Man" later in 1959, his second successful Broadway production, which would go on to earn Tony nominations for Best Play. That Chayefsky, primarily known during this period as a screenwriter and playwright rather than a magazine fiction writer, contributed a short story specifically to Harper's Bazaar reflects the magazine's genuine literary ambitions during this period, seeking out major dramatic voices from television, film, and theater rather than confining its fiction pages to conventional short-story writers. This issue therefore captures Chayefsky at the height of his mid-career critical acclaim, contributing to a publication perhaps better known for its fashion photography than for hosting major dramatic voices of the era.
The issue's cover, photographed by Hiro, situates this publication within a particularly significant period of Harper's Bazaar's photographic history. Hiro had begun his career under the mentorship of Richard Avedon before establishing himself as one of the era's most technically innovative fashion photographers, eventually becoming closely associated with the magazine's art direction under the legendary Alexey Brodovitch. This issue's cover, built around the season's "blonde" color palette beginning with a specific David Evins pump available at I. Miller, reflects Harper's Bazaar's characteristic precision in documenting not just fashion trends broadly but the specific designers, retailers, and price points that defined a given season's authoritative style guidance for its readership. That level of granular fashion documentation, tracking a single color story across shoes, stockings, suits, and coats throughout the issue's fashion well, exemplifies the magazine's role as a genuinely authoritative arbiter of American women's fashion during this period.
Beyond its fashion content and Chayefsky's fiction, this issue carried a piece on the Bolshoi Ballet School, offering American readers a glimpse into one of the most significant institutions in international ballet training, alongside "Italian Diary" by Ben Hecht, a legendary Hollywood screenwriter and journalist in his own right whose career spanned decades of American film and literary culture. The issue also included "The English Bridal," a ballad translated by Hilary Corke, and a feature on socialite and diplomat's wife Madame Hervé Alphand, reflecting Harper's Bazaar's characteristic blend of high fashion, international culture, and literary content aimed at a sophisticated, culturally engaged female readership. That combination of substantive cultural content alongside its detailed fashion documentation distinguished Harper's Bazaar from more narrowly fashion-focused competitors throughout this period.
Taken as a whole, this issue offers collectors a genuinely rich artifact combining significant literary content from one of the era's most celebrated dramatic writers with detailed documentation of a specific and cohesive fashion season, captured through the lens of one of the period's most accomplished fashion photographers. For collectors specifically focused on Paddy Chayefsky's bibliography, this issue's "The Giant Fan" offers a documented and comparatively unusual example of his short fiction, arriving at the height of his mid-career critical acclaim. For collectors of vintage fashion photography and Harper's Bazaar's design history, this issue's Hiro cover and detailed seasonal fashion documentation exemplify the magazine's genuinely influential role in mid-century American fashion journalism. This issue stands as a substantively rich artifact spanning literature, fashion, and photography history within a single publication.
About the Publication
Harper's Bazaar was founded in 1867 and grew into one of the most influential fashion magazines in American publishing history, distinguished by its combination of authoritative fashion journalism with genuine literary and cultural ambition. The magazine's editorial identity throughout the mid-20th century was shaped significantly by art director Alexey Brodovitch, whose innovative approach to layout, typography, and photography helped establish Harper's Bazaar as a genuine showcase for the era's most accomplished fashion photographers, including Richard Avedon and his protégé Hiro. The magazine's fiction pages regularly featured contributions from significant literary and dramatic voices, a practice this issue's Chayefsky story exemplifies directly, distinguishing Harper's Bazaar from competitors that confined their editorial ambitions purely to fashion coverage. Its audience consisted of sophisticated, culturally engaged women interested in both authoritative fashion guidance and substantive cultural content, a combination the magazine cultivated consistently throughout this period. Regular features typically included detailed seasonal fashion documentation alongside beauty content, travel writing, and literary contributions, giving each issue a genuinely broad editorial scope. Advertising within the magazine during this period reflected luxury goods and fashion aimed at that same sophisticated readership. Harper's Bazaar's combination of authoritative fashion journalism and genuine literary ambition made it one of the most significant and influential fashion publications of the 20th century, a status this issue's combination of detailed seasonal fashion content and significant literary contribution exemplifies directly.
Key Highlights Inside
- "The Giant Fan," a short story by Paddy Chayefsky, arriving during one of the most critically significant periods of his career. Chayefsky had already won an Academy Award for "Marty" and would open his second successful Broadway production, "The Tenth Man," later that same year. This piece offers a documented and comparatively unusual example of his short fiction.
- A cover photographed by Hiro, showcasing the season's "blonde" fashion palette beginning with a specific David Evins pump available at I. Miller. Hiro had trained under Richard Avedon before establishing his own significant career in fashion photography. This cover reflects the magazine's characteristic precision in seasonal fashion documentation.
- A feature on the Bolshoi Ballet School, offering American readers insight into one of the most significant institutions in international ballet training. This piece reflects Harper's Bazaar's engagement with international high culture alongside its fashion content. It situates the issue within the magazine's broader cultural ambitions.
- "Italian Diary" by Ben Hecht, a legendary Hollywood screenwriter and journalist. Hecht's career spanned decades of significant American film and literary output. His contribution reinforces this issue's substantial literary content alongside Chayefsky's fiction.
- Extensive fashion coverage built around the season's "blonde" color palette, spanning shoes, stockings, suits, coats, and dresses across multiple dedicated sections. This thematic coordination reflects the magazine's characteristic approach to documenting a cohesive seasonal fashion story. It exemplifies Harper's Bazaar's role as an authoritative arbiter of American women's fashion during this period.
Condition & Rarity
This issue is in good condition, as reflected in the accompanying images, showing wear typical of a periodical that has survived over six decades since its original publication. It lacks an accompanying label, a variant collectors often value for its unobstructed cover presentation. Harper's Bazaar issues from this period carry significant interest among collectors of vintage fashion photography and design history, given the magazine's genuinely influential role in mid-century American fashion journalism under Alexey Brodovitch's art direction. Issues featuring significant literary contributions from figures like Paddy Chayefsky carry additional collector interest extending beyond typical fashion magazine collecting into the broader market for material connected to major mid-century dramatic and literary figures. A plastic protective covering, when present, functions as a stabilizing measure intended to preserve a copy's current condition rather than a factor that changes its underlying grade. Collectors evaluating any surviving copy of this issue should examine the binding and page integrity closely, since these are typically the first points of wear in periodicals of this age and paper stock. Given the combination of this issue's significant literary content and its detailed, well-documented fashion photography, a surviving copy represents a meaningful find for collectors spanning both vintage fashion history and mid-century American literary and dramatic history.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Issues of Harper's Bazaar combining significant literary contributions with detailed seasonal fashion documentation, particularly one featuring a short story from a writer as significant as Paddy Chayefsky, are genuinely appealing finds for collectors spanning both fashion history and mid-century American literary culture. For those drawn to this particular issue, our Harper's Bazaar collection is an excellent place to continue browsing, since it gathers other surviving issues from across the magazine's long history of influential fashion journalism and design. That collection offers a broader look at how Harper's Bazaar's fashion photography and literary content evolved across different decades. Collectors with a specific interest in Paddy Chayefsky's bibliography, the photography of Hiro and his contemporaries, or the broader history of Alexey Brodovitch's art direction may find related material scattered throughout that same collection. Beyond the publication itself, our 1959 magazines collection offers useful context for the broader publishing landscape of the same year, spanning titles well outside Harper's Bazaar alone. Browsing by year can be especially valuable for researchers interested in a specific cultural moment rather than one particular magazine. Given how appealing issues combining significant literary and fashion content like this one tend to be among collectors once discovered, we'd encourage anyone interested in this period to browse both collections at their own pace. There is always more of this history available than a single issue can represent on its own. We hope these collections help round out whatever corner of mid-century American fashion and literary history you're most drawn to.