Mary Fanton Roberts (1864–1956) was an American journalist and writer. She was best known as an editor of women's and decorating magazines. During her long career she was editor of the illustrated monthly ''Demorest's'', editor-in-chief of ''New Idea Woman's Magazine'', managing editor of ''

The Craftsman Craftsman may refer to: A profession *Artisan, a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative *Master craftsman, an artisan who has achieved such a standard that he may establish his own workshop and take o ...

'', and creator and editor of ''The Touchstone'' and ''Decorative Arts'' magazine. She often wrote articles on the topic of

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

and Interior design, home decorating, and published two books, ''Inside 100 Homes'' and ''101 Ideas for Successful Interiors''. She was also an avid

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner supplem ...

. She occasionally wrote criticism under the pen name, Giles Edgerton.

Biography

Roberts was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, but moved as a young girl to Deadwood, in the

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

territory. When she was old enough, she and her sister were sent back to New York to attend the Albany Female Academy. After finishing school, Roberts pursued journalism and became a staff writer for four years for the ''

Herald Tribune ''Herald'' or ''The Herald'' is the name of various newspapers. ''Herald'' or ''The Herald'' Australia * The Herald (Adelaide), ''The Herald'' (Adelaide) and several similar names (1894–1924), a South Australian Labor weekly, then daily * ''Ba ...

'', the ''

Journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'', and '' The Sun'' in New York City. Her first assignment as a reporter was to interview

Hetty Green Hetty Green (November 21, 1834 – July 3, 1916), nicknamed the Witch of Wall Street, was an American businesswoman and financier known as "the richest woman in America" during the Gilded Age. She was named by the '' Guinness Book of World Reco ...

and the article she wrote about her was "so successful that it launched her into what was to be a lifetime career." Roberts was very much involved in the artistic, theatrical, and literary circles in New York City, and she became friends with many American avant-garde artists. Roberts was responsible for helping to launch many artists' careers. She was active in organizations such as the Women's City Club, Pen and Brush, and the MacDowell Society. As an avid supporter of modern dance, she became close to many performers, including

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, who performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in ...

and

Angna Enters Anita "Angna" Enters (April 18, 1897 – February 25, 1989) was an American dancer, mime, painter, writer, novelist and playwright.Biographical note, Angna Enters Papers, Jerome Robbins Dance Division. The New York Public Library for the Perform ...

. She married William Carman Roberts in 1906. During

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she and Paris Singer helped establish a hospital for soldiers with "

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

" to convalesce in Palm Beach. Roberts used her platform as an editor to raise awareness of the issue and support the hospital. Roberts moved to the Chelsea Hotel in 1941, where she lived for the rest of her life. She maintained lifelong relationships with a wide circle of friends and continued to correspond with them and attend social events until her death."Revolt, They Said". www.andreageyer.info.
Retrieved 17 August 2017.

Writing

Roberts' book, ''Inside 100 Homes'' (1937), is about the decoration of homes and is illustrated with numerous photographs. The ''

Indianapolis Star Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

'' wrote that ''Inside 100 Homes'' was "a book to fit the new spirit of life."

References

Citations

Sources

External links

Mary Fanton Roberts papers, 1880–1956
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Mary Fanton 1864 births 1956 deaths Journalists from New York City American women journalists American women writers People from Brooklyn