EARLY STAGE
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Eleanor Lambert: Early life
Eleanor Lambert: Early life
Eleanor Lambert arrived in New York City at the age of 22. She started a job working for a man by the name of Franklin Spear, who designed covers for books. He was an ad agency and a publicist. Eleanor Lambert’s job was to get quotes from celebrities. Franking noticed that Eleanor had a real knack for getting these quotes, but also, for promoting people.
Besides the books, his main clients were Opera singers, who were the big stars of the day. He thought Eleanor had a great knack for promoting these Opera singers. He gave her a phone and a desk but made her promise that she wouldn’t compete against him. He conviencer her to promote people, other than opera singers. She was fine with that idea; she didn't know what she should do. He advice her to always work with people who she had a passion for. What she had a passion for was art.
Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here
This is a picture of Eleanor, her son Bill Brooks. and her husband Seymour Burke, who later became the publisher of the American Standard Journal. It was one of the largest papers in the 40s and 50s in New York.
A photo from one of the first events that Miss Lambert produced in Karstens Gallery in New York. Cecil Beaton in the middle, the gentleman off to the left is Salvador Dali, who was also Miss Lambert’s client. In front of him is Salvador Dali’s wife, Gala Eluard.
Source. Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here
She grew up in Crawfordsville, Indiana. She went to the John Herren Art Institute as was known at the time to study sculpture. Later to the Chicago Art Institute. She thought she was a failure. Her son said. If you knew Eleanor Lambert, the one thing about her was that she always wanted to be the best at what she did. She came from the Midwest. She had a very hard work ethic.
As the legend goes, she was making $10 a week working for Franklin Speer. She went to 57th street and signed up ten clients that first week for $10 dollars each, representing art galleries.
These all three photos are by Cecil Beaton, who was one of Miss Lambert’s early clients.
Source. Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here
Eleanor at that time represented a lot of different artists. Later, she discovered that she had a lot more success promoting the artists as talent. She was the first person to ever do that. She was the first publicist for artists. This made the galleries angry. Unlike the galleries, the artists weren’t as known. For instance, the Peggy Guggenheim Gallery. Just until the end of their careers. Artists such as John Currie, Noguchi, Jackson Pollock and quite a few more, become known thanks to Eleanor Lambert.
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