Lois Long

Lois Long
Lois Long (right), early 1920s.
Born	(1901-12-15)December 15, 1901 Stamford, Connecticut
Died	July 29, 1974(1974-07-29) (aged 72) Saratoga, New York
Alma mater	Vassar College (B.A., English, 1922)
Occupation	Journalist for The New Yorker
Spouse(s)	Peter Arno (1927-1931)
Children	Patricia Maxwell

Lois Bancroft Long (December 15, 1901 – July 29, 1974) was a popular American writer for The New Yorker during the 1920s. She was known under the pseudonym "Lipstick" and as the epitome of a flapper.

She was born on December 15, 1901, in Stamford, Connecticut, the oldest of three children of Frances Bancroft and William J. Long. She graduated from Vassar College. Long had worked at Vogue and Vanity Fair before finding fame at The New Yorker. Harold Ross hired her to write a column on New York nightlife. Under the name of Lipstick, Lois Long chronicled her nightly escapades of drinking, dining, and dancing. She wrote of the decadence of the decade with an air of aplomb, wit, and satire, becoming quite a celebrity. Because her readers did not know who she was, Long often jested in her columns about being a "short squat maiden of forty" or a "kindly, old, bearded gentleman." However, in the announcement of her marriage to The New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno, she revealed her true identity.

She remained with The New Yorker as a columnist until 1968. She died in 1974.

Lois graduated from Stamford High School and entered Vassar College in 1918. Already displaying a drive for literary excellence and exploration, she graduated from Vassar in 1922 with a degree in English. In college, she began growing herself a modest reputation as a journalist, writing a review of "Vassar Dramatics" to the Poughkeepsie Courier in June of her senior year as well as participating as an editor in 1922's Vassarian. In addition to making herself known through the school's written publications, Long occasionally participated in the institution's theatre program.

In 1927, cartoonist Peter Arno and Lois Long got married. The marriage lasted four years, then in 1931 Long filed for divorce. The divorce was granted and the two shared custody of their daughter, Patricia.