Helen Valentine

Helen Valentine (1893–1986) was the founder and editor in chief of Seventeen and Charm magazines.^[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Born Helen Rose Lachman in Manhattan,^[2] she was the only child of German Jewish immigrants.^[3][4] Her father Gustave was an accountant and her mother Bertha (née Kahn) was a homemaker.^[3] Although she attended temple with her mother and went to Jewish Sunday school, her family also celebrated Christmas.^[3] She graduated from the Ethical Culture School and Barnard College.^[2]

Career[edit]

After school, she worked in the magazine industry.^[5] Beginning as a part-time copy writer for Lord & Thomas, Valentine was among the first fired from the advertising firm when the Great Depression began.^[6]

In 1944, while serving as promotion director for Mademoiselle magazine at Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications, she was asked by Annenberg to help revive a movie magazine.^[2] Although the concept of "teenager" as a distinct demographic segment of the population was a relatively new idea at that time,^[5] Valentine proposed a magazine for teen-age girls.^[2] Noticing the wide popularity of a King Features Syndicate comic strip by cartoonist Hilda Terry that focused on the trials and tribulations of a typical teenager's life entitled Teena which began running in July 1944, Valentine convinced Annenberg that teenage girls needed a magazine of their own.^[5] Valentine believed that teenage girls were an underserved demographic and had the potential to become an important and lucrative new consumer market segment.^[5] She stated that "it was time to treat children as adults."^[2] The magazine was launched in September 1944^[5] and within eighteen months, Seventeen had a circulation of a million.^[2] Seventeen is credited with creating a teen market for clothing manufacturers and other industries.^[2]

From 1948-1949, Valentine served as president of Fashion Group International, an organization created in the 1930s by a group of business women working in fashion.^[7]

In 1950, she accepted a job with Street & Smith to revamp a fading women's magazine called Charm which she re-configured into the country's first fashion magazine for working women.^[2] Valentine focused on another demographic she believed was not represented by current magazines: married women who work. Charm was eventually merged into Glamour magazine after being bought by Conde Nast Publications.^[2]

One of Valentine's talks, "How to Keep More of the Money You Earn" was published in the second session of the 83rd Congress (1954). because of Henry M. Jackson, a senator from Washington State. This talk contributed to legislation that would grant tax relief to married women who work.^[6][8]

In 1958, Valentine was hired by Good Housekeeping magazine to write a column, Young Wife's World, where she remained until she retired in 1963.^[2]

Personal life[edit]

Valentine was married to banker Herbert Valentine (died 1978).^[2][9] She had two children: Barbara Valentine Hertz and Barry Valentine.^[2][10] Her granddaughter, Valentine Hertz Kass^[3] was one of the first women producer/directors at KQED in San Francisco, the first director of the Navy Pier IMAX Theater, and the founding director of the American Children's Television Festival.^[11][12] Her great-grandson, Sam Kass, served as Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor For Nutrition Policy.^[13] Valentine died in 1986 in Miami at her daughter's home.^[1]

References[edit]