Portrait photography is meant to reveal the essence of the subject, but there is a hyperreal quality to Johansson’s makeup with the use of thick eyeshadow, full lipstick, and the dark colour and shape of her eyebrows.
The Gentlewoman is represented by Rock Media who have helped compile a detailed media kit to promote the magazine to companies in the European fashion and luxury market.
Using the NRS social grades, 76% of The Gentlewoman’s readers are classified as ABC1 which means they are employed in junior to higher managerial or professional positions.
The readers of The Gentlewoman have a substantial average income of £87,255 – that is more than £50,000 compared to the average annual salary in the UK.
Despite the financial risks of publishing a print magazine when more and more readers are relying on digital media, there has been a quiet resurgence of independent titles in the UK.
The Gentlewoman delivers an “agenda of cultural happenings” to the “40,000 plus active members”, including walking tours, film screenings and card nights.
The producers of The Gentlewoman are able to use the spatial relationship between the words and images to shape meaning – something that is lost on smaller viewports, such as mobile devices.
The Gentlewoman also offers digital packages to access advertising spaces on their website and they offer “creative collaborations” and “bespoke partnerships”, including previous work with brands such as Bottega Veneta and Chanel.
The audience could easily satisfy this surveillance motivation by flicking and scrolling through the internet, but The Gentlewoman offers a more tactile experience compared to the instantly disposable images flashcard>
The Gentlewoman is produced by the owners who retain their creative control, so the content is imbued with a passion not seen in mainstream magazines which often rely on ideas developed from extensive market research.
The print industry has always relied on advertising to remain profitable because the revenue from single copy sales and subscriptions is not enough to cover the costs of production and distribution of magazines and newspapers.
Editorial content will never be free from commercial decisions, but the magazine makes it clear they are adding their opinion and expertise to endorse the designers, giving The Gentlewoman an authentic voice compared to the mainstream publishers.
The Gentlewoman’s newsletter contains a “classifieds section of bespoke advertisements” which is “a discerning platform for brands to reach astute consumers, direct to their inbox”.
While other magazines aimed at this creative class of women struggled to survive, such as Oh Comely, The Gentlewoman’s innovative approach to creating an intimate connection between the editor and the reader has ensured it has remained a viable enterprise.