Item 129 - Carbon copy ALS to Greta Garbo from Reddish House

Identity area

Reference code

Beaton/A/A2/14a/129

Unique identifier

GB 275 Beaton/A/A2/14a/129

Title

Carbon copy ALS to Greta Garbo from Reddish House

Date(s)

  • 28 May 1956 (Circa. Letter dated 'May 28 Tuesday'.) (Creation)

Level of description

Item

Extent and medium

4 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.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Regrets that Garbo is too ill to visit him in England. Writes that his plans to travel to New York in September are still unconfirmed. Describes Spring at his house. Mentions Mrs Rokeby, his new cook, after whom he has named Garbo. Sends news of Mrs Rokeby's husband. Refers to his domestic business, including decorating and his gardeners. Mentions Clarissa Eden.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related genres

Related places