Leslie Howard, in the Studio, 1934. Photo: Edward Steichen
Leslie Howard (1893 – 1943) diffident Hollywood actor, author, director, producer, sympathizer for the Allied war effort in World War II. Well known for playing stiff-upper-lipped Englishmen, yet best remembered for the character that will always be associated with him, that of Ashley Wilkes, the honour-bound disillusioned [...] Read Full Story
These large, elegant and most mysterious paintings of the necks and heads of women are a reflection of Christian de Laubadere’s fascination with the sophistication and sensuality of women, past and present. He paints on paper and canvas using lead pencils, smoke and charcoal as well as printed and embroidered fabric. Selections from China and [...] Read Full Story
Impersonation Party, 1927: Among the revelers are Elizabeth Ponsoby (back row), in wig as Iris Tree, with Cecil Beaton on her right. Seated from Left: Stephen Tennant, as Queen Marie of Romania; George Sitwell, with false nose; Inez Holden; Harold Acton. Foreground: Tallulah Bankhead as Jean Borotra.
“The social life of London
in “the twenties” must,
to the [...] Read Full Story
“ I am sending you
postcards from a place
where I am not.
We’re not tourists, we’re travelers
A tourist is someone who
thinks about going home the
moment they arrive
Whereas a traveler
might not come
back at all.”
Paul Bowles
The Sheltering Sky
Photo: Instanbul
Posted in Excerpts, Selected Sojourns Tagged: destination, Istanbul, paulbowles, shelteringsky Read Full Story
Sweet is such a delightful
and complex word.
It represents everything
I want to paint about:
the pure,
the fragrant,
the desirable
and the dream of complete indulgence
in a perfect world.
The artist Will Cotton has been a fixture in the New York art world for almost a decade, using classical, Old Masters’ painting techniques to create completely modern confections. His subject matter [...] Read Full Story
Who has not at one time or another imagined themselves on pointed toe high above the stage lights, moving to the strains of Stravinski’s Rite of Spring with arms aloft and legs rigidly poised to execute a perfect arabesque penchée, all the while exuding a detachment of serenity and grace? Perhaps, its a musing [...] Read Full Story
If Paris and the Opera Ballet are simply unattainable right now, you might bring it all a bit closer with this Vintage 1920’s Black Velvet Opera Coat.
The details tell of an ermine collar with satin lining. Besides, who needs the crowds at the Palais Garnier? You can stage your own elegantly quiet evening of [...] Read Full Story
This superbly carved portrait bust presents a pensive woman with a compelling gaze holding a scroll, the symbol of an educated person. The delicate, sensitive carving and the highly polished finish suggest that it was carved in Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire and, it would appear, a forward thinking society in their attitudes toward [...] Read Full Story
How can you not want to emulate and/or follow in the path of a woman who had the uncommonly good sense to refrain from being seduced by the very business of seduction?
So intensely private was Madeleine Vionnet, dubbed the “couturier of couturiers”, she studiously avoided public displays and mundane frivolities, often expressing a dislike [...] Read Full Story
Waiters in the Grand Hotel Dining Room watch Sonja Henie ice skating. St. Moritz, 1932.
Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt.
I’ve always been captivated with the idea of why and how certain images seem to stay with you. This is one of those photographs for me. Each time I see it, I take away something new. Intuitively, I know [...] Read Full Story
