Category Archive: Grande Dames
Mrs. Houdini
Harry Houdini makes an appearance in Encyclopedia of the Exquisite as an origami lover. But, as ever, his devoted wife and stage assistant Bess Houdini is all but overlooked. As successful as the great magician was in making his big…
Wingwalkers
All things ariel seem to attract my attention these days. But how could you not get excited about wingwalker Gladys Ingle? A friend just sent me this amazing video. Riding on the top wing of a plane, early stunt woman Gladys…
What’s a Diva to Do?
Reading about the great Italian ceramics designer Piero Fornasetti and his series of 350 plates all based on the same beautiful face, I got curious about his inspiration, the legendary beauty and turn-of-the-century Italian opera star Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944). (You can…
Nobody’s Muse
Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington (born 1917) was nobody’s muse. She and her lover Max Ernst made pictures of each other, she explained. “I didn’t have time to be anyone’s muse,” said Carrington. “I was too busy rebelling against my family…
Comments