from yesterday's post- why don't you?, I received this comment- from the ever tuned in, turned on the HOUSE OF BEAUTY & CULTURE-
"all that is missing is Truman Capote circa 1977."
image from here by Arnold Newman
TRUMAN sprawling 1977
Yes, Truman did have a thing for Victoriana- the furniture that is-
So what about a Truman Victoriana Redux?
well-not to disturb any literary spirits-
& in that spirit-
Prints, Pattern-that Truman would approve of-all from QUADRILLE.
He decorated with damasks, Japanese obi textiles, quilts, florals, batiks- So yeah, He went for it all
Here- Truman -as a younger Victorian.
photograph by Slim Aarons
photograph available from Wessel+O'Connor Fine Art
so tell me what you think?
why don't you?
& DO wish TRU a Happy Birthday- born September 30th 1924.
Now playing for HOBAC- did you hear this in '77?
I love that the same cat statue appears in the earlier and the 1977 photos of Truman Capote! It's nice to see people hanging on to things they love and reconfiguring them over time.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, the Victorian's could turn out a great sofa and with the addition of a fresh new fabric, well it is truly a thing of modern beauty. I love the addition of Truman Compote...thank you HOBAC!
ReplyDeleteTruman Capote in many ways was a little Victorian grandmother. This style suits the man and how clever of HOBAC to inspire your post. Another match made in heaven.
ReplyDeleteI like the juxtaposition of the old with the new. Most of the time I like the old with the old. I threw a tapestry "drop cloth" over my husband's grandmother's sofa intending to reupholster it "one day." Decided I like the way she looks. Now, Mr. Capote might have a delicious, catty thing to say about that!
ReplyDeleteIn the early 1990s, I was the archivist at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, and one of the perks of my job was comp tickets to any plays we presented, one of which happened to be Tru, with Robert Morris as Truman Capote. I had never read anything by him except the very article in Esquire that brought his world down around him--which article was the basis for the play--and even with free tickets, I might not have gone, but I remembered seeing a photo spread of his NY apartment in a design magazine, so I went to opening night just to see how well the set designer recreated what I remembered. It was dead-on, with that same sofa, upholstered in the same red-&-green tropical chintz, sitting in front of a broad window overlooking the city. Almost everything in the room was red and it reminded me a bit of DV's Garden-in-Hell--or what those rooms might have looked like with some windows--and although I had never really liked that whole glitzy 1970s lacquer-&-plush thing, onstage, I have to say, it looked great.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember much about the play itself, except that there was a big Christmas tree at one side of the set, and during a crucial scene when Capote was talking on the phone, one of the big ornaments slid off the tree & crashed to the stage, breaking the dramatic tension of the moment in the process.
Morris was a trouper. He covered the phone with his manicured hand, gave the busted ornament a withering look, screamed "Shut up, Bitch!", then resumed his conversation with a honeyed "Pardon me, Darling, I had to speak to the maid."
a reader emailed to say today is Tru's birthday-most auspicious.
ReplyDeleteTownhouse- exactly what I love to do too.
ReplyDeleteA&A-so true, and especially on the subject of HOBAC!
Anon-a second! I definitely think TC had a little of his grandmother left when he took off to NYC.
Home-I think TC might have done a bit of that himself with his Japanese fabrics and He appears to have held on to many sentimental things & certainly He could have twanged out a retort or three on cue. pgt
ReplyDeletemagnaverde, I know that was quite a performance-I suspect a great deal of tart and vulnerability from Robert Morris. I am always intrigued by the sets on stage and movies-each so different. pgt
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect response. Love this post!
ReplyDeleteKH-yes,HOBAC is quick.
ReplyDeleteNot one for Victorian antiques...that is, until I saw it covered in Quadrille! Now I am rethinking it all! Love that Slim Aaron photo of TC...a true character if ever there was one..not to mention Queen!
ReplyDelete