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If you only know Martha Stewart as the queen of perfectly crimped pie crusts or the woman who shares thirst traps from her pool in East Hampton, you’re missing a huge part of the story. Long before she was building a billion-dollar media empire or hanging out with Snoop Dogg, Martha Kostyra was a girl from Nutley, New Jersey, who was basically the face of the early 1960s.
People are currently scouring the internet for martha stewart pictures young because, honestly, the vibe is unmatched. We aren't just talking about a few school portraits. We’re talking about a high-fashion, Chanel-modeling, cigarette-ad-pacing career that paid for her Ivy League-adjacent education at Barnard College.
The Side Hustle That Paid $50 an Hour
Let's put that into perspective. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, $50 an hour was a small fortune. Adjusted for today's inflation, she was pulling in the equivalent of over $500 an hour as a teenager.
While her peers were working retail or babysitting for pocket change—though she actually did babysit for New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle first—Martha was booking national television commercials. Her first big break? A Unilever spot at age 15.
She wasn't just a "pretty face" in the local paper. She was a professional. She signed with the legendary Ford Models. Think about that: the same agency that handled the biggest names in the world.
That "Us Tareyton Smokers" Ad and the Chanel Connection
If you’ve seen the viral black-and-white martha stewart pictures young, you’ve probably noticed one where she’s looking incredibly chic, maybe a little defiant.
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One of her most famous gigs was for Tareyton cigarettes. You might recognize the slogan: "Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch!" She appeared in print ads with a mock "black eye," a gimmick used to show brand loyalty. It was edgy for the time, and Martha pulled it off with a certain "it" factor that most lifestyle gurus just don't have.
A Summer with Chanel
During her time at Barnard, she didn't just study European and architectural history. She modeled for Chanel. Yes, that Chanel.
She reportedly did a stint for the fashion house one summer while Coco Chanel was still alive and running the show. She also worked for:
- Breck Shampoo (The "Breck Girl" was a massive deal back then)
- Clairol
- Lifebuoy Soap
What’s wild is that she wasn't just doing the high-fashion pout. In many of these photos, she looks like the "all-American girl" next door. She’s often pictured on farms, holding baskets of eggs or posing with cows—ironic, considering she’d eventually make a career out of "country living" on a much more curated scale at Turkey Hill.
Why These Photos Are Viral Again
It's not just nostalgia. It’s the contrast.
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We’re used to Martha as the domestic authority. The woman who knows exactly how to remove a wine stain or roast a chicken to perfection. Seeing her as a 19-year-old in denim shorts at Barnard, or a 25-year-old stockbroker (her second career!) commuting to Wall Street in a mini-skirt, breaks the "Grandma Martha" mold.
"I knew that I could model, I knew I could pose for pictures, but I was not sexy, and I was not provocative," Martha told People back in 2020.
She might not have felt it then, but the internet begs to differ. There’s a specific photo of her in a simple, ribbed sleeveless top with her hair pulled back that looks like it could have been taken yesterday for a Glossier campaign. She was "clean girl aesthetic" before the term even existed.
From Runway to Wall Street
The modeling ended mostly because life happened. She married Andrew Stewart in 1961 (wearing a wedding dress she and her mother made, naturally). After graduating from Barnard in 1963, she had her daughter, Alexis, in 1965.
By 1967, the modeling gigs were replaced by the trading floor. She became an institutional stockbroker, proving that the drive she showed at 15 wasn't just about looks—it was about business.
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How to Find the Best Vintage Martha Images
If you're looking to see these for yourself, you don't have to look far. Martha herself is the best source. She frequently shares "Flashback Friday" posts on her Instagram (@marthastewart).
What to look for:
- The 1959 Yearbook Photo: The classic "Nutley High" look.
- The Barnard Campus Shots: These are the most "relatable," showing her in 1960s collegiate fashion.
- The Glamour "Best-Dressed" Feature: In 1961, Glamour named her one of the 10 best-dressed college girls in America.
- The Turkey Hill Early Days: Photos from the 1970s where she’s transitioning from model/broker to the catering mogul we know.
Actionable Takeaway: Lessons from Young Martha
Looking at martha stewart pictures young isn't just about the aesthetics; it’s a masterclass in the "multi-hyphenate" life.
- Leverage your assets: Martha used modeling to fund her education, not just to be famous.
- Don't get stuck in one lane: She went from modeling to finance to catering to media.
- Invest in your "brand" early: Even in her 20s, she was documenting her life and her homes, which eventually became the foundation for her first book, Entertaining, in 1982.
To really appreciate the Martha Stewart of 2026, you have to see the Martha of 1961. She’s always been the hardest-working person in the room—she just happened to look like a movie star while doing it.
If you're doing your own deep dive into her history, start with the Makers documentary or her own archives on her website. It's a lot more than just "good things."
Next Steps:
If you want to see the specific images mentioned, head over to the Martha Stewart official archives online. They have a curated timeline of her life, including high-res scans of her early modeling work for brands like Breck and Chanel that aren't always available on social media.