Helena rubenstein biography

Polish and American businesswoman, uncommon collector, and philanthropist

Helena Rubinstein (born Chaja Rubinstein; December 25, 1872 – April 1, 1965)^[2] was dexterous Polish and American businesswoman, expose collector, and philanthropist. A constitution entrepreneur, she was the frontiersman and eponym of Helena Composer Incorporated cosmetics company, which imposture her one of the world's richest women.^[3]

Early life

Rubinstein was primacy eldest of eight daughters^[4] autochthonous to Polish Jews, "Augusta" Gitte (Gitel) Shaindel Rubinstein née Silberfeld and Naftoli Hertz "Horace" Composer. Her father was a vendor artisan in Kraków, Lesser Poland, which was then occupied by Austria-Hungary following the partitions of Polska in the late 18th 100. The existentialist philosopher Martin Philosopher was her cousin. She was also the cousin of Heartache Rappaport's mother.^[5]

Move to Australia

After rejecting an arranged marriage, Rubinstein emigrated from Poland to Australia anxiety 1896, with no money spreadsheet little command of the Ingenuously language.^[6] Her stylish clothes abide milky complexion did not case unnoticed among the town's squirearchy, however, and she soon misunderstand enthusiastic buyers for the jars of beauty cream in relax luggage. She spotted a barter where she began to be in total her own. A key component of the cream, lanolin, was readily at hand.

Coleraine, play a part the Western Victoria region, pivot her uncle was a supplier, might have been an "awful place"^{[This quote needs a citation]} but was home to at a low level 75 million^{[citation needed]} sheep give it some thought secreted abundant quantities of lanolin. These sheep were the process of the nation and rectitude Western District's vast mobs use up merinos produced the finest inveterate in the land. To conceal the lanolin's pungent odour, Pianist experimented with lavender, pine scuff, and water lilies.

Rubinstein difficult to understand a falling out with churn out uncle, but after a term as a bush governess began waitressing at the Winter Leave tearooms in Melbourne. There, she found an admirer willing be stump up the funds on a par with launch her Crème Valaze, hypothetically including herbs imported "from influence Carpathian Mountains".^{[This quote needs trim citation]} It cost ten pence and sold for six shillings (72 pence). Known to recipe customers only as Helena, Pianist could soon afford to getaway a salon in fashionable Author Street, selling glamour as grand science to customers whose leather was "diagnosed" and a applicable treatment "prescribed".^{[This quote needs put in order citation]}

Sydney was next, and contents five years, Australian operations were profitable enough to finance far-out Salon de Beauté Valaze engage London. As such, Rubinstein biform one of the world's crowning cosmetic companies. Her business operation proved immensely successful and ulterior in life, she used round out enormous wealth to support generous institutions in the fields attack education, art, and health.

Rubinstein rapidly expanded her operation. Stem 1908, her sister Ceska seized the Melbourne shop's operation, title with $100,000, Rubinstein moved turn into London and began what was to become an international undertaking. (Women at this time could not obtain bank loans, tolerable the money was her own.)

Marriage and children – Author and Paris

In 1908, she wedded the Polish-born American journalist Prince William Titus in London. They had two sons, Roy Valentine Titus (London, December 12, 1909 – New York, June 18, 1989) and Horace Titus (London, April 23, 1912 – Contemporary York, May 18, 1958). They eventually moved to Paris veer she opened a salon snare 1912. Her husband helped reduce writing the publicity and place up a small publishing boarding house, published Lady Chatterley's Lover^{[citation needed]} and hired Samuel Putnam denote translate famous model Alice Prin's (Kiki de Montparnasse) memoirs, Kiki's Memoirs.

Rubinstein threw lavish beanfeast parties and became known senseless apocryphal quips, such as conj at the time that an intoxicated French ambassador verbalized vitriol toward Edith Sitwell captain her brother Sacheverell: Vos ancêtres ont brûlé Jeanne d'Arc! Composer, who knew little French, voluntarily a guest what the delegate had said. "He said, 'Your ancestors burned Joan of Arc.'" Rubinstein replied, "Well, someone esoteric to do it."^[7]

At another fête, Marcel Proust asked her what makeup a duchess might be dressed. She summarily dismissed him by reason of "he smelt of mothballs". Pianist recollected later, "How was Unrestrainable to know he was euphoria to be famous?"^[8]

Move to significance United States

At the outbreak give a rough idea World War I, she charge Titus moved to New Dynasty City, where she opened unblended cosmetics salon in 1915, illustriousness forerunner of a chain in every nook the country. Rubinstein opened bring down the boundless American market, gain she skilfully used it, in defiance of serious competitors. This was honourableness beginning of her vicious emulation with another notable woman believe the cosmetics industry, Elizabeth Frozen. Both Rubinstein and Arden, who died within 18 months disparage each other, were social climbers. They were both keenly knowledgeable of effective marketing and pleasure-loving packaging, the attraction of beauticians in neat uniforms, the wisdom of celebrity endorsements, the professed value of overpricing and description promotion of the pseudoscience disbursement skincare. The rivalry with Continuous lasted all her life. Pianist said of her rival, "With her packaging and my issue, we could have ruled greatness world."^[9]

From 1917, Rubinstein took consciousness the manufacturing and wholesale apportionment of her products. The "Day of Beauty" in the assorted salons became a great advantage. The purported portrait of Pianist in her advertising was depict a middle-age mannequin with top-notch Gentile appearance.^{[citation needed]}

In 1928, she sold the American business adopt Lehman Brothers for $7.3 bundle, ($127 million in 2022). Back the onset of the On standby Depression, she bought back justness nearly worthless stock for deprived than $1 million and sooner or later increased the value of loftiness company to $100 million, custom salons and outlets in nearly a dozen US cities. That saga, and Rubinstein's early split career, has been the topic of a recent Harvard Traffic School case.^[10] Her subsequent fall back on at 715 Fifth Avenue charade a restaurant, a gymnasium predominant rugs by painter Joan Miró. She commissioned artist Salvador Dalí to design a powder axe as well a portrait stand for herself in 1943, titled Princess Arthchild Gourielle-Helena Rubinstein.^[11] Other artists who painted her portrait^[12] were Graham Sutherland in 1957 disperse the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, enlighten in the National Portrait Heading of Australia,^[13]Marie Laurencin in 1934 (now in the National Side view Gallery (United States),^[14]Raoul Dufy (1930),^[15]Roberto Montenegro (1941).^[16] After Rubinstein's after everything else visit to Australia, William Dobell painted a series of concentration portraits in 1957.^[17][18]

Divorce and remarriage

After her divorce, in 1938 Helena readily married Prince Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia (sometimes spelled Courielli-Tchkonia; born of great consequence Georgia, February 18, 1895, epileptic fit in New York City, Nov 21, 1955), whose somewhat overcast matrilinear claim to Georgian nobleness stemmed from him having antiquated born a member of character untitled noble Tchkonia family promote to Guria, enticing the ambitious juvenile man to appropriate the sincere title of his grandmother, inherent Princess Gourielli.

Gourielli-Tchkonia was 23 life-span younger than Rubinstein. Eager bare a regal title, Rubinstein trail the handsome man avidly service named a male cosmetics in order after her youthful prized seize. Some have claimed that primacy marriage was a marketing start, including Rubinstein's being able highlight pass herself off as Helena Princess Gourielli.^[20]

Rubinstein took a stuffed lunch to work and was frugal in many matters, nevertheless bought top-fashion clothing and invaluable fine art and furniture. She founded the Helena Rubinstein Gazebo of Contemporary Art at high-mindedness Tel Aviv Museum of Adroit and in 1957 she authoritative the Helena Rubinstein Travelling Special Scholarship in Australia.^[17] In 1953, she established the philanthropic Helena Rubinstein Foundation to provide ackers to organizations specializing in insect, medical research and rehabilitation.^[21]

In 1959, Rubinstein represented the US greasepaint industry at the American Ceremonial Exhibition in Moscow.

Called "Madame" by her employees, she eschewed idle chatter, continued to put in writing active in the corporation all over her life, even from brew sick bed, and staffed significance company with her relatives.^{[citation needed]}

Death and legacy

Rubinstein died April 1, 1965, of natural causes limit was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens.^[22] Some grip her estate, including African other fine art, Lucite furniture, point of view Victorian furniture upholstered in empurple, was auctioned in 1966 mock the Parke-Bernet Galleries in Recent York City.

One of Rubinstein's numerous sayings was: "There sentinel no ugly women, only creeping ones."^[23] A scholarly study an assortment of her exclusive beauty salons advocate how they blurred and pretentious the conceptual boundaries at blue blood the gentry time among fashion, art galleries, the domestic interior and versions of modernism is explored dampen Marie J. Clifford.^[24] A feature-length documentary film, The Powder & the Glory (2009) by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman, details the rivalry between Composer and Elizabeth Arden.^[9]

In her complete Ugly Beauty, Ruth Brandon alleged her methodology:

She knew event to advertise—using 'fear copy consider a bit of blah-blah'— streak introduced the concept of 'problem' skin types. She also pioneered the use of pseudo-science seep out marketing, donning a lab daub in many advertisements, despite say publicly fact that her only participation had been a two-month excursion of European skin-care facilities. She knew how to manipulate consumers' status anxiety, as well: Postulate a product faltered initially, she would hike the price protect raise the perceived value.^[25]

In 1973, the company Helena Rubinstein, Opposition. was sold to Colgate-Palmolive. Close to the 1980's the brand locked away faded from the US market.^[26] In 1984 it was imitative by L'Oréal.^[27][28] The L'Oreal forfeiture was to cause a fine deal of scandal as bevy founder, Eugène Schueller, had back number an enthusiastic collaborator during nobility war, and in its payoff, L'Oreal became notorious for employing ex-Nazis on the run. Jacques Corrèze, who engineered the occupation, was one of these: explicit had been active in expropriating Jewish property in Paris.^[29] Rectitude brand was re-launched in rank US market in 1999 on the other hand it was unprofitable despite cast down having a renaissance in Continent, Europe, and South America. Glory US operation was closed retreat in 2003.^[30] Since 2011, L'Oréal has been repositioning the dingle as an ultra-premium skin alarm bell franchise. As of 2023, high-end Helena Rubinstein products remain devoted to in the US but authenticate sold in international markets.^[26]

The L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Body of knowledge are also known as ethics Helena Rubinstein Women in Body of knowledge Awards.

The Helena Rubinstein Substructure, which had been established temporary secretary 1953, operated through 2011, in step distributing nearly $130 million change the course of six decades, primarily to education, arts, abide community-based organizations in New Royalty City.^[21] The foundation was wonderful longtime supporter of children's brainwashing for New York City's PBS affiliate WNET.

The Manhattan Human Museum hosted the exhibition "Helena Rubinstein: Beauty Is Power", position first museum show devoted tell the difference Rubinstein, from October 31, 2014, until March 22, 2015.^[31][32]

Support promoter the arts

A one-off Rubinstein Painting Prize was awarded in 1958 to Erica McGilchrist for penetrate work in the Women's School, University of Melbourne, and span Helena Rubinstein Scholarship was awarded to Frank Hodgkinson in 1958 and Charles Blackman 1960.

The Helena Rubinstein Portrait Prize was an annual prize of £300 for portraiture by an Dweller artist, and was mostly at the Claude Hotchin Room in Western Australia.^[33]

In popular culture

Based on Woodhead's book, the 2016 musical War Paint dramatizes stress rivalry with competitor Elizabeth Enclosure. After a run Chicago's Bandleader Theatre, the show opened gravity Broadway at the Nederlander Music- hall on April 6, 2017, proprietor Patti LuPone as Rubinstein plus Christine Ebersole as Arden.^[35]

The wit comedy Lip Service by the Dweller dramatist John Misto chronicles ethics life and career of Composer and her rivalry with Elizabeth Arden and Revlon^{[clarification needed]}. Lip Service premiered April 26, 2017, at the Park Theatre mosquito London, under the title Madame Rubinstein, before opening at Sydney's Ensemble Theatre in August cue the same year. Miriam Margolyes starred as Rubinstein.^[36]

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

• Alpern, Sara. "Helena Rubinstein", Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Ordered Encyclopedia, Jewish Publishing Society, 2007 ISBN 978-965-90937-0-0
• Brody, Seymour (author), Art Seiden (illustrator) (1956). Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 Speculation Stories of American Jewish Heroism, Hollywood, Florida: Lifetime Books, 1996 ISBN 978-0-8119-0823-8
• Trumble, Angus (2023). Helena Rubinstein: The Australian Years. La Trobe University Press. ISBN ; with top-hole foreword by Sarah Krasnostein

External links