Historical Figure
Martha Stewart
1941–2012
American businesswoman, writer, TV personality (born 1941)
Hear Their Voice
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"Interview on Growing Up in Nutley, New Jersey" — c.2002
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Biography
Martha Helen Stewart is an American retail business woman, convicted felon, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
Timeline
The story of Martha Stewart, told in moments.
Born Martha Kostyra in Jersey City, New Jersey. Second of six kids. Polish-American family. At 10, she babysat for Mickey Mantle's and Yogi Berra's children. At 15, she appeared in a TV commercial for Unilever.
Published Entertaining, her first book. She'd been running a catering business out of her Connecticut farmhouse basement. The book became a bestseller. She built a brand around the idea that domestic life could be an art form.
Martha Stewart Living debuted on television. The magazine of the same name was already selling millions. She launched Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 1997. IPO in 1999 made her a billionaire on paper.
Convicted on felony charges related to the ImClone insider trading case. Served five months in a federal prison in Alderson, West Virginia. People predicted the end of her empire.
Appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at 81. The oldest woman ever to do it. She'd returned to profitability by 2006, rejoined her company's board in 2011, and never stopped. Netflix released a documentary about her in 2024.
In Their Own Words (3)
Stewart: Living. Living. Everyday living. At home, in the garden, around the house, with the kids, um, on vacation, and it has always been for me a very serious subject. But to persuade other people that it's a serious subject, not my readers, not my, not my followers, I don't want to call them followers, my friends, but to persuade...
1995
Stewart: Well, that's great because we're all trying to do the same thing. Live well.
1995
Rose: But the world is full of Martha wannabes.
1995
Artifacts (15)
Saints Peter, Martha, Mary Magdalen, and Leonard MET 12.211 profile
Antonio da Correggio
Saints Peter, Martha, Mary Magdalen, and Leonard MET 12.211 1 copy
Antonio da Correggio
Saints Peter, Martha, Mary Magdalen, and Leonard MET 12.211 3 copy
Antonio da Correggio
Saints Peter, Martha, Mary Magdalen, and Leonard MET 12.211 2 copy
Antonio da Correggio
The poetical remains of the late Allan Stewart (IA poeticalremainso00stew)
Stewart, Allan, 1812-1837. [from old catalog] Fleming, Charles, 1804-1857. [from old catalog]
Gilbert Stuart - Martha Washington (Martha Dandridge Custis) - 1980.2 - Museum of Fine Arts
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart - Martha Washington (The Athenaeum Portrait) - Google Art Project
Gilbert Stuart
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