Lillie Langtry, The Jersey Lily, and Lille Diane

I am working on a few projects (at once...) but one of them includes scanning, and compiling my personal photographs, as well as my professional modeling and musician portfolio. Big undertaking. This task is on my 101 List.

What many of you do not know about me is that I was born on the same day as Lillie Langtry exactly 99 years apart. She was called the Jersey Lily. She was a an independent woman more suited for our day and age, an actress that could be compared to our generation's Meryl Streep, and was considered to be the most beautiful woman of her time. In fact, Judge Roy Bean named his city, Langtry, TX, after her because he was so smitten with her. I hope this post will encourage you to read more about her.

Lillie above, me below....
I got goose bumps the first time I read her biography and discovered what seem to be so many similarities between us. At times I felt as if I knew what the next page in the book would say about her before I turned the page. Do any of you believe in re-incarnation? Past Lives?

Now I am not comparing myself to her caliber of beauty--in no way--it was more the "way" she thought, the "way" she believed in herself, and the "way" she lived her life. I ventured out on my professional singing career in my early 20's after I read about her. She gave me the courage to live my childhood dream. I will be re-reading my well loved, dog-earred copy of her book again. Perhaps she will inspire me from beyond, once again, to live my life with gusto. And without fear.

Excerpt from, "The Diva's Site"

""An open secret, Lillie Langtry became Prince Albert’s’ official mistress. Designers heaped free clothes on her so she never had to worry her husband with that expense. They were given a gilded coach so the Langtrys could travel to each party in style. Appreciated by the men, Lillie was not so coveted by the women, but was nonetheless invited to all social events as everywhere that Lillie went, the Prince was sure to go. The High Society Express was moving full steam ahead and Lillie couldn’t be happier. She was often known as “The Langtry Phenomenon.” The Diva was in full flower.

The press couldn’t get enough of her. She was written about on a daily basis and the public was eager to see what she would do next. George Bernard Shaw was quoted as saying, “I resent Mrs. Langtry, she has no right to be intelligent, daring and independent, as well as lovely.” Oscar Wilde, great wit of the day and a bit of a Diva himself, once said “I would rather have discovered Lillie Langtry than America.” Princess Alexandra, often viewed as the long-suffering wife, soon met Lillie and the two developed a caring, friendly relationship. A quality not often found in the Other Woman, but a secret weapon used much to Mrs. Langtry’s credit. It gave her a special cachet that might otherwise have left her merely tolerated by the women of high society. Soon thereafter, Lillie was presented at court to Bertie’s mother, Queen Victoria. The Queen’s reaction was never recorded but it was said that she personally removed a picture of Mrs. Langtry from above the bed of her youngest son, Prince Leopold.""


Books

Available from secondhand/Antiquarian Bookshops :-

The Days I Knew -by - Lillie Langtry - published 1925
The Jersey Lily - by - Pierre Sichel - published 1958
The Gilded Lillie - by - Ernest Dudley - published 1958
Lillie Langtry a Biography - by - Noel B Gerson - published 1971
The Prince and the Lillie - by - James Brough - published 1975
Lillie - by - David Butler - published 1978
Lillie Langtry - Her life in words and picutres - by - Jeremy Birkett & John Richardson - published 1979

The Jersey Lily - by - Sonia Hilson - published 1993
Lillie Langtry Manners Masks and Morals - by - Laura Beatty - published 1999

Or try Amazon, Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Self Portrait A.K.A. Face Dancing

No one ever really looks at themselves when they talk. Well, I take that back. I have known some people who cannot look at you and talk if there's a mirror in the room. They watch themselves. Ummmm.... Never mind, that is an entirely different blog topic, and a personal pet peeve. ~~shiver~~ Did I just type that out loud???

Anyway, the video below was edited from another video I made a couple of weeks ago taping me while I told the story of how I flipped my kayak. (You remember that Lucy-like episode???) I gathered 163 frames from the original video, kept them in sequence, and captured the many faces I make while talking. The original film was 2 minutes and 20 seconds long.

Psssssttttt.... JUST IN CASE YOU'RE AT WORK....THE VIDEO HAS SOUND.
It's a great song so crank it up if you can :-)



I probably should go ahead and draw a big D on my forehead for being such a dork. But it is me, goofy faces and all. I never knew I had a so many different facial expressions. I made this for the Creative Every Day Challenge that Leah Piken Kolidas created for aspiring or established artists and for people who just want to explore their creative sides. It's a no pressure, non judging format, and has quite a huge following. If you haven't checked CED out before, I'd highly recommend you do. Leah has inspired me, and helped me keep my focus on my 101 creative to do list.

This month's creative projects focus on "self"--hence my "video self portrait" better known as Face Dancing.

Sketching my yesterday's became this time tomorrow

I have always drawn, painted, and sketched pictures of women from as far back as I can remember. When I was about 10 years old, I discovered I could create lovely paper dolls--the kind that made my sisters, and the neighborhood girls, drool. I knew I was onto something when they began begging me to make them sets of their very own paper dolls. I'd ask my mother, and grandmother, to save the white cardboard that their nylons were wrapped around inside the packaging. Paper like this was a scarce commodity. White gold. One side was glossy; the other side matte.

On this precious sheet of cardboard I'd carefully draw a voluptuous, bathing suit clad, vixen. Granted I didn't know, or understand, the term "vixen"... I just drew curvy girls with perfect lips, and perfect hips--perfect clones of Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Jane Mansfield. Those were the role models women from my mother's generation wanted to look like. And I could draw them quite well. I wanted to become one of "those" beautiful ladies when I grew up.

After I finished drawing and coloring the cardboard beauty, I'd carefully cut her out. I'd put a piece of lined-notebook paper over the top of the cut out version or template to trace over. We didn't have access to plain, white typing paper at this time--no one did unless you were a secretary or a teacher. I'd draw 3-4 outfits on each sheet... followed by coloring each one as though I were a famous clothing designer. Soon business was booming, and I needed help manufacturing more. Plus, I got bored with the "finish" work of coloring and cutting--I much preferred to design and create. So I employed my sisters to help me.... or should I say bartered a completed set in exchange for their services. In no time at all I started an assembly line in our bedroom, and soon barked out orders to my sisters of which colors I wanted the outfits to be... and "Be careful cutting that gown out...."

Capri sets, evening wear, glamorous night gowns (lingerie... but again I didn't know the correct terminology for said articles of clothing) delicious dresses, fur coats... The paper flew around the room like colored confetti as I created literally countless sheets of "fancy sh'mancy" outfits. Complete, "I must add", with strategically positioned tabs that folded over the doll's shoulders, and sides, so the clothing would stay on.

For many years I wanted to be a fashion designer. I sewed dresses by hand from patterns I cut out... and I do mean hand stitched each, and every, seam. I'd stay up all night putting a zipper on a dress by hand. I saved up babysitting money for my first sewing machine at age 15. I am still a "fabri-holic". Some of you know exactly what I mean by that... I didn't grow up to be a fashion designer. I pursued a different dream; to become a singer-songwriter, which I did for over 25 years. I made my own stage clothes and wore the vintage clothing I collected for many, many years.

I'm still drawing sketches of women, photographing pictures of women, and painting portraits of women. The painting above is my newest piece. I suppose I could say it's a self-portrait. I used an old photo of me from my early singing-modeling days. I'm wearing a vintage dress circa 1930 and a 1940's black cape. Below is the photograph I used. And below that is an old band shot. Yep.... I'm wearing vintage clothes in that pic, too.

I realized today I'm still that girl hunkered over a box of crayons, and notebook paper...
over a sewing machine and a box of buttons...
with a guitar and a sheet of music...
digging through a drawer full of paints,
reaching for the perfect paint brush...
and living my life from a sketchbook full of dreams...




Yes, I'm still sketching her, and still creating who she's yet to become.

This time tomorrow I hope to see your eyes

Take your pic Nolly.

Nolly Posh said the eyes have it. They are the windows to the soul. I have doodled eyes since I was a wee one, painted eyes, photographed eyes, and have for a long time loved cropping them to show the inner twinkle. So when Nolly challenged us on her May 3 blog (in a fun way) to "post your ~ windows to the soul~" I had to jump on it!!! Take a peek at her peepers....

These are my eyes. Sometimes they looked dawg tired, sometimes ornery, sometimes they looked glazed (with or without wine) sometimes they reflect the little girl in me, or the sorrow of a 1000 heartaches. Rarely, very rarely they can scorch you if you get my protective side up and are messin' with someone I love. I'd like to think I have pixie eyes. Sparkly, baby blue-green eyes that smile. I want them to reflect love, peace, laughter, hope and kindness.

More than anything I want to use my eyes to look deep inside me. Nolly has some great posts on meditation if you take a moment to read her blog. Nolly has a way of calming me just reading her wonderfully written words. She continually reminds me everything will be OK. She's not even writing specifically to me--she's just writing the words that pour out of her heart.

I have some mighty fine people I follow listed on the side of my blog page. I have discovered a wealth of wisdom within the blog world. I have made some new friends here. Thank you all who read my pages and are cheering me on to the finish line of completing my 101 List of fabulous things to do in my fantastic life. I'll be adding the complete 101 list (as soon as I figure out how to post in on a side column... baby blogger here) and will keep adding more as I check those off the list.