Item 96 - Carbon copy ALS to Greta Garbo

Identity area

Reference code

Beaton/A/A2/14a/96

Unique identifier

GB 275 Beaton/A/A2/14a/96

Title

Carbon copy ALS to Greta Garbo

Date(s)

  • 8 Oct. 1950 (Circa. Letter dated 'Sunday 8th October'.) (Creation)

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Item

Extent and medium

2 p. paper

Context area

Name of creator

(1904-1980)

Biographical history

Photographer, artist, writer, and designer of scenery and costumes. Educated at Harrow and St John's College, Cambridge, 1922-5. Made his name as a photographer through portraits of the Sitwells. Employed by Vogue in London and New York. Published 'The Book of Beauty' (1930). Photographed the Duke of Windsor's wedding, 1937. War photographer, 1939-45. Designed 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 1945. Designed costumes for 'An Ideal Husband' and 'Anna Karenina', 1948. Worked on 'The School for Scandal', 1949, 'Quadrille' for Noel Coward, 1952, 'Turandot', 1961, and 'La Traviata', 1966. Designed costumes for 'My Fair Lady', 1956, and for the film version in Hollywood, 1963. His play 'The Gainsborough Girls', 1951 and 1959, was unsuccessful. Published 'The Glass of Fashion' (1954), and six volumes of diaries. Exhibited photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, 1968. Knighted 1972.

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Scope and content

Excuses himself for not having written the previous Sunday. Sends a list of events of the week before it, including the death and memorial service of Sibyl Colefax, and the return of Beaton's secretary. Thanks Garbo for her letter. Suggests that Nella Webb got the dates of her predications wrong as they are both going through frustrating times. Longs for Garbo.

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