Billie Burke and the Ziegfeld Follies #wwwblogs #actress #moviestar

Born in 1884 in Washington DC, Mary William Appleton Burke was called Billie after her father, an American clown of Irish descent who appeared in Barnum and Bailey’s circus.  After an early childhood touring the US and Europe, Billie’s family settled in London where she had the opportunity to visit the theatres.  Her ambition to be an actress was achieved when, at the age of 18, she appeared in George Edwardes’ musical “The Schoolgirl” with Edna May and Marie Studholme.  But Billie Burke’s real fame came in 1907 when she returned to the States to star in musical comedies on Broadway.

The Ziegfeld Girls were a more relaxed version of the Gibson Girls of the early 20^th century.  Billie joined this group of showgirls who looked very similar in appearance and in stature. They were beautiful young women with many young male admirers.  They danced in complete synchronization, wearing costumes designed by the Russian fashion designer Erté.  Inspired by the Folies Bergère, the Ziegfeld Follies, the creation of Florence Ziegfeld, were a series of stunning revues which incorporated the best of Vaudeville and the Broadway shows.

Ziegfeld’s common-law wife Anna Held was a Ziegfeld girl, but she divorced him in 1913 for his infidelity with another Ziegfeld girl, Lillian Lorraine and early the following year he married Billie Burke.  Three years later their daughter Patricia was born and they moved into a 22 acre estate with a mansion of 19 rooms and a swimming pool. They kept a herd of deer, two lion cubs, an elephant and many other animals.

The Ziegfeld Follies continued on Broadway until 1931 and Florenz Ziegfeld died in 1932. The Follies became a radio programme in 1932 and 1936.  Many of the girls left the show to make wealthy marriages.  Billie continued to appear in stage comedies and in film.

“I never was the great‐actress type,” she remarked years later. “I generally did light, gay things. I often had cute plays but never a fine one.”

Much of the wealth of Florenz and Billie had gone in the stock market crash of 1929 so it was lucky that Billie was able to move successfully from silent movies to spoken film roles.  Her success continued into the 1950s and her last appearance was in 1960.  She is perhaps most famous for her performance as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in “The Wizard of Oz” originally released in 1939.  She died in Los Angeles on May 14th 1970, aged 84.

Postscript:

And here are two lovely postcards of Billie Burke I have just received from Sarah Talbot @Bea2Sarah

©Elizabeth Lloyd

Creation of a new town by the seaside at the beginning of the 20th century

Did your family move to another part of the country during the late 19^th or early 20^th century?  As the middle class increased in numbers and wealth, there were many professionals or tradesmen who could afford to give up their business in the cities and retire to a quieter place. Frequently they chose an expanding town by the seaside.

West Pier, Brighton 1905

Originally made popular in the mid-18^th century when sea-bathing and drinking of its water were recommended as a cure-all, in Victorian times it was believed that the bracing sea air was ideal for those suffering from respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis as a result of living in smoke-filled cities.  In consequence, in Bournemouth an “Invalids’ Walk” was laid out, connecting the town centre to the pier, which still remains today.

My grandparents, who were both the youngest of their family, accompanied their parents to Bournemouth during their teens, on the retirement of their fathers.  Bournemouth had been a sparsely populated area until the 1840s when Augustus Granville included the new town in the next volume of his popular book on the Spas of England.  Once the railway was connected to the town in 1870, high quality villas and elegant hotels were built and the population rose from 1,707 in 1861 to 37,000 in 1891 and 60,000 by 1900.

The postcards of Bournemouth in my Grandmother’s collection, record that initially her mother rented a house in the town for several weeks before deciding that she and her youngest daughter should retire there after the sudden death of her husband in the busy wharfs of Rotherhithe where he had been a barge builder. My great grandmother continued to live with her youngest daughter for the rest of her life, even after her daughter’s marriage.

My grandmother continued to exchange postcards with her friends in Rotherhithe, showing the beautiful surroundings of Bournemouth but also missing her theatre visits in London.  However she enjoyed the musical house parties and church functions, where she met my grandfather who, while training as an architect at Bournemouth Municipal School of Art, was living with his father, retired Chief Constable of Kings Lynn.  Two years after they settled in Bournemouth my grandfather’s mother and sister died but a few years later his father married a widow whom he had met in the drawing rooms of Bournemouth.

There were in fact many opportunities for entertainment in the expanding town.  In 1885 a bandstand was opened on the pier, designed by Eugenius Birch, which had been completed five years earlier.  In the summer, military bands would perform concerts three times a day in the bandstand and as there were covered shelters they also performed twice a day in winter.  The Bournemouth Symphony orchestra was established in 1893 and was conducted on occasions by Elgar, Sibelius and Holst.

In Boscombe, which attracted the wealthiest residents and holidaymakers, during the early 1890s, terraces of shops, the Salisbury Hotel, the Royal Arcade, and the Grand Theatre were built.  The famous actor, Henry Irving brought his company to the Grand Theatre for three nights, performing four different plays which filled the auditorium.  The Grand Theatre was renamed the Boscombe Hippodrome after refitting with furnishings from His Majesty’s Theatre in London.  At this point its range of shows widened to include Music Hall entertainment.  An alternative venue was the Winter Gardens’ Theatre built in 1876.  Between the theatres it was possible to see Gilbert and Sullivan light operas, West End musical comedies and Drury Lane society dramas.

In 1865, John Sydenham, one of the proprietors of The Poole Herald, who had established the Royal Marine Library moved it to Pier Approach, Bournemouth. There were reading rooms containing newspapers and magazines and it was possible to borrow books for a small subscription. Refreshments, stationary and sheet music were also available.

On a more practical note, in February 1877 the Royal Boscombe Hospital opened in Shelley Road, initially with beds for 12 patients.  It was later renamed the Royal Victoria Hospital.  There was a Sanatorium for those with chest diseases and the first cemetery was established in Wimborne Road in 1877.  St Peter’s church was the first to be consecrated in 1845, but there were also religious services held in the Assembly Rooms.  Public meetings, political gatherings and parties were also held in the Assembly Rooms and in the adjoining Belle Vue Hotel, billiard tables could be found.

On the warm sunny days, Bournemouth provided plenty of open space and beautiful surroundings.  Fields had been leased to the Bournemouth Commissioners in the 1870s which were set out as Pleasure Gardens.  Wide promenades gave excellent views of the sandy beach and the avenues were lined with trees.  Before her death in June 1899, Lady Shelley, widow of Percy Shelley the son of the poet, had gifted four acres of land which were laid out to form Boscombe Cliff Gardens and by the turn of the century Boscombe Chine gardens had been planted.  At Dean Park a new cricket ground was established.

The pier was extended twice so that by 1909 it was 1000 ft. (over 300 m) long.  There was a landing stage for pleasure boats at the head of the pier while smaller craft landed on one side.  The "Bournemouth Queen," a paddle steamer, commenced excursions to Swanage in 1909.  On the other side of the pier there were many bathing machines, made popular by their use at Osborne house, Isle of Wight for the Royal family.  Kept at the water’s edge, they gave essential privacy to the bathers.  Bournemouth wished to be considered a respectable resort with no high jinks or unsuitable behaviour.

By 1910 the boundaries of Bournemouth had expanded to include six miles of sea frontage.  Originally recommended by Augustus Granville as, “a winter residence for the delicate constitutions requiring a warm and sheltered locality in winter,” it had become a large established resort for holidays, retirement and even a lifetime home for many people.  

©Elizabeth Lloyd

#LouisWain - The man who drew cats

Both my grandmother and my mother collected postcards of cats painted by Louis Wain.

Many of these are of appealing cats with large eyes.  However Wain did not begin his artistic career with cats.  Born the son of a textile trader and embroiderer in Clerkenwell, he lost his father when he was 20 but continued to live with his French mother and his 5 younger sisters for most of his life.  He worked for newspapers such as the Illustrated london News, drawing detailed pictures of English country houses and livestock at agricultural shows.

When he was 23 he married his sisters' governess, Emily Richardson, but sadly she died 3 years later.  While she was suffering from breast cancer she took great comfort from the company of a stray black and white cat which the couple had taken in.  Louis began to draw the cat, eventually publishing his first cat picture in 1886.

Wain illustrated one hundred children's books during his life.  He considered taking up illustrating dogs but decided to experiment with his cat pictures.

                

At first the cats stood on four legs, but soon they walked upright and wore clothes, which was a popular motif of the day.  They always exhibited exaggerated expressions.  The postcards have always remained popular and from 1901-1915 the Louis Wain annual was published.

Louis had poor business sense and struggled financially to support his mother and sisters.  In the 1920s his behaviour became erratic and occasionally violent so in 1924 his sisters had him committed to the Pauper Ward of a mental hospital in Tooting.  A year later, at the instigation of the Prime Minister, Wain was transferred to Bethlem Royal Hospital where the garden included a colony of cats.

  

It was said that Louis Wain suffered from schizophrenia and that this could be seen in the bright colours and highly patterned cats he produced in his later years, but it now believed that in fact he had Asperger's Syndrome.  None of his pictures were dated and some argue that if these were his later drawings, they were evidence of his experimentation and artistic maturity.

One thing is certain; you either love them or hate them.

  

       

Humorous Greetings #postcards

Many of the postcards in my grandmother's collection were really notecards for sending a quick message to a friend.  Usually arriving on the same day they were posted they could be compared to a text or WhatsApp today but perhaps more like Instagram since they include an entertaining picture.

Thanks for Yours

In 1903 my grandmother was 19 years old, the youngest daughter living in Rotherhithe with her parents.  The family were able to have one servant and unlike her mother thirty years earlier, Connie did not have to work.  

So sorry I missed you

She had a busy social life meeting her friends, going to the London theatres and staying with relations in the country.  Sometimes the shortened phrases are rather cryptic.

A little thought

Many of the cards are from an unidentified friend called Mal.  

The note duly reached

Three Little Maids was a musical at the Apollo Theatre.

I shouldn't have thought

This card was posted locally and Mal was planning to catch the bus.

Exhilaration

This exhilarating card came from Mary, who wrote more formally.

I need not explain

Laura wrote from Bournemouth, so has sent a friendly greeting.

And finally Connie didn't post this card. perhaps because it was inappropriate!

Things are looking healthy

Lance Thackeray (1870 - 1916) was a gifted artist who specialised in beautifully drawn comic scenes. Thackeray was a founding member of the London Sketch Club. 
Louis Wain's early cat pictures were very popular despite their wild eyes.
You can read the history of the postcards of Raphael Tuck and sons here

The #Edwardian Seaside #postcards

My love for the seaside began with Sunday school outings in the 1950s to places like Brighton, Eastbourne, Margate and Bognor, but the height of popularity for seaside towns was in Edwardian times at the beginning of the 20^th century.

A family poses next to the beach

Many seaside resorts became popular destinations during the Victorian era when the expansion of the railways made travel accessible and affordable.  Most, but not all of the visitors, were middle class and their visits coincided with the popularity of the picture postcard. 

While sitting on a deckchair listening to the Municipal Band many young ladies and young men penned a postcard to friends and relations.  They would show donkeys, boat trips, walking en masse along the promenade or venturing along the pier to visit a place of entertainment.

There was no need to worry about getting sunburnt

and there were often beach tents or chalets for shelter

And if it rained there was always somewhere to go.

but sometimes you just needed a balmy evening.

Dressing Cardboard Dolls #Nostalgia

One of my childhood memories are of what I did on days when I was off sick from school.  A cardboard doll would appear, complete with tabbed dresses to put on it.  Often I could colour them in first.  Here are a selection of historic costumes which I found in Volume 2 of The Romance of the Nation by Charles Ray.

I particularly like the vivid descriptive names of the suggested colours to use.

• For 1900 you should choose cerulean blue with a hat in Prussian blue.  Prussian blue which is a dark shade was the first modern synthetic pigment.
• The dress of 1903 can be violet with trimmings of dark mauve
• In 1907 cream is most suitable trimmed in vandyke brown.
• By 1912 burnt umber is more suitable, with a “vest” of Naples yellow and trimming in raw sienna.  The accompanying hat would be best with yellow and orange flowers.
• For the 1914 costume the dress should be sap green and the cape a dark Hooker’s green. Hooker’s green was the colour used by 19^th century botanist, William Hooker for dark shades of leaf.

Payne's grey

• In 1917 a toque hat appears but colours are left to you.
• Yellow ochre is the suggestion for the pale areas on the 1919 costume.
• The 1923 dress is Payne’s grey with carmine trimming.  Payne’s grey, which has a bluish tinge was named after watercolourist William Payne (1760-1830).
• The fashionable 1930 dress should be coloured in burnt sienna trimmed with carmine and worn with raw umber stockings.
• Finally the 1935 dress is Jubilee blue to celebrate the silver Jubilee of King George V.

To see and learn more of these colours I recommend the website Colors of Art  
And you must view these beautiful paper dolls on Maria Pareira's Pinterest page.