Geoffrey Beene Orange Wool Dress

Dress of heather salmon wool jersey. Button front. Fullish skirt with low-placed pleats. Pocket in the left chest.

HCT.1987.244.12

1973

This dress belonged to Charlotte Curtis, who was the first woman on the masthead on the New York Times. "At the height of her career at the NY Times, she was one of those rare print journalists who are as famous as the famous people she profiled. When she became op-ed page editor of the Times she was regularly cited as one of the most influential women in America." Charlotte was born in Chicago, IL in 1928. She attended Vassar College. Curtis worked as a reporter and society editor for the Columbus Citizen for 11 years, and at the New York Times for 25 years. She began her career at the Times as a fashion reporter in 1961, and two years later was assigned to the "society beat," rising to editor of the Family/Style section by 1965. She transformed the traditional women's pages through her emphasis on current news and "lively writing." In 1974, she became an associate editor of the Times in charge of the Op-Ed Page, a position she held until 1982. Her name appeared on the Times masthead, the first woman to be included with the senior editors. Her column of social commentary ran from 1982 to June 1986. She was married to Dr. William E. Hunt, a professor and director of neurologic surgery at the College of Medicine at Ohio State University.

Geoffrey Beene

1970-1979