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Katherine Sproehnle

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Katherine Sproehnle
A young white woman with dark hair in an unusual asymmetrical updo, in an oval frame
Katherine Sproehnle, from the 1915 yearbook of the University of Chicago
BornSeptember 30, 1894
Chicago
DiedAugust 29, 1976 (aged 81)
New York City
Other namesKatherine Rheinstein, Kate Sproehnle
Occupation(s)Writer, publicist, journalist
SpouseAlfred Rheinstein

Katherine Margaret Sproehnle (September 30, 1894 – August 29, 1976) was an American writer, publicist, and journalist, a contributor to The New Yorker, Woman's Day, Vanity Fair, Mademoiselle, Collier's, Vogue, and The Saturday Evening Post.

Early life and education

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Sproehnle was born in Chicago,[1] the daughter of Albert William Sproehnle and Isabel Grace Kuh Sproehnle.[2] Her father and brother were jewelers.[3] Journalist Franklin P. Adams was her cousin.[4][5] She graduated from the University of Chicago in 1915.[6]

Career

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Sproehnle was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune after college. She worked with Edward Bernays in publicity,[1] and at a bookstore owned by Fanny Butcher.[7] After she moved to New York City,[8] she was an occasional guest at the Algonquin Round Table gatherings.[9]

Sproehnle regularly contributed fiction, reviews, and humorous commentary to The New Yorker, from the 1920s into the 1940s, She co-wrote some pieces with Jane Grant,[10] James Thurber, and Robert M. Coates.[11][12] In the 1940s she was the theatre critic for Mademoiselle magazine.[13] She also wrote for Vogue,[14][15] Woman's Day,[16] Vanity Fair, Collier's,[17] and The Saturday Evening Post.[18]

Personal life

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In 1926, Sproehnle married Alfred Rheinstein,[19] a construction company owner and housing official in New York City. They had three children, including television news producer Frederic Rheinstein.[20] Her husband died in 1974,[21] and she died in 1976, at the age of 81, in New York City.[1] Designer Kate Rheinstein Brodsky and sportscaster Linda Rheinstein are her granddaughters.[22][23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Katherine Sproehnle, 81, A Writer for Magazines". The New York Times. 1976-08-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  2. ^ "Mrs. I. G. Sproehnle Estate is $595,501; Taxes Take $149,396". Chicago Tribune. 1948-01-15. p. 21. Retrieved 2023-12-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Chicago Jewelers Dine and Pass Important Resolutions". The Jewelers' Circular. 75 (1): 65. October 10, 1917.
  4. ^ Osborne, Huw (2016-03-09). The Rise of the Modernist Bookshop: Books and the Commerce of Culture in the Twentieth Century. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-01746-2.
  5. ^ Teichmann, Howard (1976). Smart Aleck : the wit, world, and life of Alexander Woollcott. Internet Archive. New York : Morrow. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-0-688-03034-6.
  6. ^ University of Chicago (1915). The Cap and Gown. p. 89.
  7. ^ Gilbert, Julie Goldsmith (1999). Ferber: Edna Ferber and Her Circle, a Biography. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 419. ISBN 978-1-55783-332-7.
  8. ^ "Free Lance Writer Makes 'Lance-a-Lot Dainties'". The Sheridan News. 1925-01-09. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-12-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Harriman, Margaret Case (1951). The vicious circle; the story of the Algonquin Round Table. Internet Archive. New York, Rinehart. pp. 221–222.
  10. ^ Henry, Susan (2012). Anonymous in Their Own Names: Doris E. Fleischman, Ruth Hale, and Jane Grant. Vanderbilt University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-8265-1846-0.
  11. ^ "Katherine Sproehnle". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  12. ^ Lee, Judith Yaross (2000). Defining New Yorker Humor. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 245, 275–278, also appendix. ISBN 978-1-57806-198-3.
  13. ^ Mademoiselle. Condé Nast Publications. 1940.
  14. ^ Sproehnle, Kate (October 15, 1951). "Life at St. Croix". Vogue | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  15. ^ Sproehnle, Kate (May 15, 1954). "Italy". Vogue | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  16. ^ Sproehnle, Kate (August 1947). "Hold Everything". Woman's Day: 38, 84 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ "Jewelry Wardrobe is Fashion's New Decree". Suburbanite Economist. 1927-07-08. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-12-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Grant, Jane C. (1968). Ross, the New Yorker, and me. Internet Archive. Reynal. p. 135.
  19. ^ "Class of 1911" Princeton Alumni Weekly 27(2)(October 1, 1926):54.
  20. ^ Colker, David (2013-12-28). "Frederic Rheinstein dies at 86; NBC producer captured shooting of Oswald". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  21. ^ "Alfred Rheinstein Dead at 85; Founded Construction Concern". The New York Times. 1974-05-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  22. ^ Green, Penelope (2023-03-31). "Suzanne Rheinstein, 77, Designer of Classic American Interiors, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  23. ^ Brodsky, Kate Rheinstein (2023-03-21). "A Love Letter to Suzanne Rheinstein". ELLE Decor. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  24. ^ "Linda Rheinstein – Space Tech Summit". Retrieved 2023-12-30.