On this day

December 4, 1907

cover page of The Tatler published on December 4, 1907

The Tatler

Issues

3,358

Pages

202,589

Available years

1901-1966

The Tatler, published weekly in London, began on 3 July 1901. Clement Shorter, a former editor of the Illustrated London News and founder and editor of The Sphere, was the founder of The Tatler. The title came from Richard Steele’s 1709 literary and social journal of the same name.

This publication focused on society and drama news. Issue 60 of the Newspaper Press Directory describes the paper as ‘an illustrated journal on society, the stage, and sport’, with ‘smart life, smart ladies, and smart work [being] the principal characteristics of the paper’. There is a special note detailing that the publication is ‘lavishly illustrated and splendidly printed’.

If you are interested in the history of the theatre and those who performed on the stage, for instance, this is a useful resource to utilise.

In 1940, The Tatler merged with The Bystander; subsequently, the publication changed its name to The Tatler and Bystander. For a short period of time, from 1965 to 1968, it went by the name of London Life. The original name was restored in 1968. During this time of name changes, the publication had passed through several different owners.

For this newspaper, we have the following titles in, or planned for, our digital archive:

  • 1901–40 The Tatler (London)
  • 1940–65 The Tatler and Bystander (London)
  • 1965–66 London Life.

This newspaper is published by Illustrated London News Group in London, London, England. It was digitised and first made available on the British Newspaper Archive in Feb 24, 2017 . The latest issues were added in Feb 24, 2017.

  • Earliest issue: July 3, 1901
  • Latest issue: December 31, 1966

Restriction

The title is not available on British Library and library premises