Jean Ward Patchett Auer (February 16, 1926 – January 22, 2002) was a leading American

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...

of the late 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. She was among the best known models of that era, which included Dovima,

Dorian Leigh Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker (April 23, 1917 – July 7, 2008), known professionally as Dorian Leigh, was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered one of the first supermodels, and was w ...

Suzy Parker Suzy Parker (born Cecilia Ann Renee Parker; October 28, 1932 – May 3, 2003) was an American model and actress active from 1947 until 1970. Her modeling career reached its zenith during the 1950s, when she appeared on the covers of dozens of ma ...

Evelyn Tripp Evelyn Tripp (1927-1995) was a leading fashion model of the 1950s and 1960s. Evelyn Tripp was born in Flat River, Missouri, in 1927, the daughter of a lead miner. Tripp was discovered by an assistant to Louise Dahl-Wolfe, the ''Harper's Bazaar'' ...

and

Lisa Fonssagrives Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), ...

. Patchett was the subject of two of

Vogue Magazine ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vogu ...

's most famous covers, both shot in 1950 by

Erwin Blumenfeld Erwin Blumenfeld (26 January 1897 – 4 July 1969) was an American photographer of German origin. He was born in Berlin, and in 1941 emigrated to the United States, where he soon became a successful and well-paid fashion photographer, working a ...

and Irving Penn. She was famous for being one of the first high-fashion models to appear remote; previously, models had appeared warm and friendly. Irving Penn described her as "a young American goddess in Paris couture". During her career, she appeared on over 40 magazine covers. Patchett modeled for brands including

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman. ...

Henri Bendel Henri Bendel, Inc. (pronounced BEN-del), established in 1895, was a women's department store based in New York City which in its later history sold women's handbags, jewelry, luxury fashion accessories, home fragrances and gifts. Its New York Ci ...

and

Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brother ...

Early life

Jean Ward Patchett was born on February 16, 1926 in

Preston, Maryland Preston is a town in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. The population was 719 at the 2010 census. History Preston is home to the Linchester Mill, c. 1682. During the Revolutionary War it supplied grain to George Washington's troops. ...

to James Franklin Patchett (1891–1962), a

World War I 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 ...

veteran and plumber, and Mary Ward Patchett (1891–1970), who were both originally from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. She was the youngest of four children; she had two sisters, Dorothy Lee (1917–2006) and Elizabeth "Betty" (1922–1999), and a brother, James Franklin Patchett Jr. (1919–2002). She was of Scottish, Irish, English, and French ancestry. Patchett graduated from Preston High School in 1941. She attended secretarial school, studied voice at Peabody Institute, and attended

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...

before deciding to become a model.

Career

She came to New York in 1948, and signed with the Ford Model Agency on May 10, 1948. Her career took off almost immediately. She debuted with ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' in September 1948 at the age of 22. In October 1949, Patchett was photographed by Penn along with Bridget Bate Tichenor for the famous photograph ''The Tarot Reader''. A print of this photograph is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.The Tarot Reader (Jean Patchett and Bridget Tichenor) - New York 1949 by Irving Penn SAAM
/ref> Patchett was the subject of two of

's most famous covers, January 1950 by

and April 1950 by Irving Penn.

Cathy Horyn Cathy Horyn (born September 11, 1956) is an American fashion critic and journalist who worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1998 until 2014 where she had the highly noted and provocative blo''On The Runway'' In 2015, she was appointed critic- ...

wrote that the January 1950 cover "became shorthand for an entire decade". During her career, she appeared on over 40 magazine covers. Patchett's face was used in the 1957

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

- Audrey Hepburn-

Kay Thompson Kay Thompson (born Catherine Louise Fink; November 9, 1909''"In the St. Louis Registry of Births, in the volume covering the period July 1909 – January 1910, on page 85, is the following entry: "Catherine Louise Fink, November 9, 1909."''

film, ''
Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny ...
'', which spoofed the fashion industry.

Personal life
Shortly after signing to Harry Conover's agency, Patchett began living in a Methodist rooming home for women. Patchett married Louis Auer, a Yale-educated banker in 1951. After 1962, they adopted two children named Bart and Amy.

Death
Jean Patchett Auer died on January 22, 2002 in
La Quinta, California La Quinta ( Spanish for "The Fifth") is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. Located between Indian Wells and Indio, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley. The population was 37,467 at the 2010 c ...
from emphysema. She is buried at Junior Order Cemetery in Preston, Maryland.

References

External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Patchett, Jean 1926 births 2002 deaths People from Caroline County, Maryland American female models Female models from Maryland 20th-century American women 20th-century American people