Jackie Kennedy – Her White House Dresses

Posted on July 28, 2015 by barbara

Jacqueline “Jackie” Bouvier Kennedy (born: July 28, 1929 died: May 19, 1994) was the wife of the 35^th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. She was the First Lady from 1961 until her husband’s tragic assassination in 1963. She was young and beautiful, only 31 years old at the start of her husband’s presidency, and during her years in the White House she set the fashion style for the nation in the early 1960s. The American public was fascinated by her simple but elegant clothing, her iconic pillbox hats and bouffant hairstyle.

Her chosen designer, Oleg Cassini, was selected shortly before the inauguration just as he was just emerging in the fashion industry. The First Lady and Cassini worked together throughout her husband’s presidency, collaborating on her wardrobe for official engagements which would reflect Jackie’s personal sense of style, with a distinctive and subtle European fashion design while being manufactured in the United States. The dresses had simple, clean lines featuring A-line skirts, three-quarter length sleeves or most often sleeveless sheaths matching coats or two piece suits consisting of a simple straight skirt and matching jacket for daytime events. Also for daytime wear shoes, gloves and hats were custom made or purchased to match each individual outfit. Although Halston did not originally come up with the pillbox hat design, he did make several custom hats for the First Lady. For nighttime engagements, such as State dinners or other more formal occasions, the dresses were either knee-length or floor-length, depending on the event, and similar in their design elements but made from elegant fabrics sometimes with chiffon, beading or silk embroidery accents. Cassini produced over 300 dresses for Mrs. Kennedy during her time in the White House and all the dresses were made by a staff of skilled seamstresses specifically assigned for making the clothing for the First Lady using fabrics of the finest linen, wool, satin and shantung silk. Cassini was not the only fashion designer of Mrs. Kennedy’s dresses during the White House years and occasionally she collaborated with other designers.

In 2002, while on a visit to Washington, D.C., I saw the “Jacqueline Kennedy – the White House Years” exhibit which featured several of her dresses worn during that time. It was a great experience to see these dresses that inspired and set the style for a generation and upon see the displays, the dresses were beautifully made with wonderful detailing.

So, let’s start by looking at a few of Mrs. Kennedy’s iconic dresses which she worn as the nation’s First Lady. The dresses are listed in chronological order dating from the beginning of her husband’s presidency with the Pre-Inauguration Gala through to the end with the assassination and funeral of President Kennedy.

Pre-Inauguration Gala Dress –

For the Pre-Inauguration Gala Dress held on January 19, 1961at the National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C. The night before President Kennedy’s Inauguration Day the city was hit with a major snow storm that brought over eight inches of snow. When Mrs. Kennedy left for the Gala from their Georgetown home, the snow was lightly falling but she was wearing no coat over her lovely dress. Cassini designed a beautiful ivory silk sating evening gown with a fully lined A-line skirt and three-quarter length sleeves which Mrs. Kennedy worn with elbow length gloves. The detail of the cockade (a knot of ribbon or fabric with a circular shape in the middle) which was attached at the waist was per Jackie’s request was a nod to her French Bouvier ancestry. (Fashion Note: Some fashion critiques think that this dress worn for the Pre-Inaugural Gala was the more beautiful than the gown that was worn for the Inaugural Ball the next day and I would have to agree with this assessment)

Inauguration Ceremony Dress and Coat –

On President John Kennedy’s Inauguration Day, January 20, 1961, Cassini designed two separate pieces – a simple dress and coat both made of beige wool crepe. Cassini selected the fabric for the coat specifically because he knew that the other political wives would be wearing their heavy fur coats “looking like overstuffed bears” and he wanted the new First Lady to look both youthful and fashionable. The over-blouse dress featured a simple round neckline, three-quarter length sleeves and a notched detail at the waistline. Worn over the dress was an equally simple knee-length coat which featured two large buttons at the front and two side pockets at the hip. To complete her ensemble, Mrs. Kennedy wore a small sable circlet at her neck, a matching sable muff and a Halston pillbox hat which she chose to wear toward the back of her head. (Fashion Note: Numerous Halston pillbox hats were custom made for Mrs. Kennedy throughout her husband’s presidency and would later become a fashion accessory strongly associated with the First Lady)

Inaugural Ball Gown and Cape –

On the evening of Inauguration Day; after the swearing-in ceremony, congressional luncheon and parade, President Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy formally dressed for the several Inauguration Balls planned for the night festivities. Mrs. Kennedy wore an off-white sleeveless gown made of silk chiffon over peau d’ange (satin-weave fabric) featuring a strapless bodice embellished with silver colored silk embroidery thread and seed pearl beading, a matching cape with toggle closure at the neck was worn over the dress. The dress was designed in collaboration with Mrs. Kennedy, who drew the sketches of her dress ideas, and Ethel Frankau of Bergdorf Custom Salon located in New York City.

Ivory Embroidered Evening Gown –

During the first year of President Kennedy’s administration, a State Visit was planned to France where the President would have several meeting with Charles de Gaulle the leader of the French Republic. Mrs. Kennedy had been a longtime admirer of French Fashion Design but for the visit she had planned to wear American designs exclusively with the exception of a particular dress. For the dinner at Versailles, France on June 1, 1961 she wore a stunning Givenchy evening gown of ivory ziberline (a heavy silk fabric with a twill weave) which featured an A-line skirt. The bodice of the dress was heavily embroidered with roses and lilies of the valley created by Hurel with silk thread, ribbon and seed pearls. (Historical Fashion Note: The dress was worn again for a congressional reception held in the White House on April 10, 1962)

Blue Evening Gown –

This lovely dress was worn by Mrs. Kennedy during a State Visit to England for a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London on June 5, 1961. The designer was Chez Ninon and the light blue silk shantung evening dress featured a belt with a decorative bow at the waist that created soft pleats, the dress was an interpretation of a Givenchy dress. (Historical Fashion Note: The dress had been worn previously for a dinner with the Prime Minister of Japan, Hayato Ikeda, at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. on June 22, 1961)

Red Dress –

During the Kennedy administration, Mrs. Kennedy was responsible for an extensive White House restoration. When the project neared completion, a special CBS pre-recorded televised tour of the White House was given by Mrs. Kennedy on February 14, 1962 and was watched by millions of Americans; incidentally she won an Emmy for the broadcast. For the televised program, Mrs. Kennedy wore a two-piece day dress by Chez Ninon featuring long sleeves and a bateau neckline (a high wide neckline that follows the curve of the collarbone ending at the shoulder seams), the dress is said to be a copy of a Christian Dior original. To complete her ensemble, Mrs. Kennedy wore a three strand pearl necklace and pearl earrings.

Black Dress –

Before traveling to India for a diplomatic trip, Mrs. Kennedy stopped in Rome and had an audience with Pope John XXIII at the Vatican on March 11, 1962. Per the strict rules of the Vatican regarding papal visits, Cassini designed a full-length long sleeve black dress made of black alaskine (a sturdy fabric that is a blend of wool and silk) worn with a stiff taffeta petticoat underneath. To complete her ensemble, the First Lady wore a long black mantilla (a lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders).

Apricot Dress –

Mrs. Kennedy traveled to India and Pakistan with her sister, Lee Radziwill, on a diplomatic tour on March 12-26, 1962. Taking inspiration from the countries she was to visit, her wardrobe for the trip was designed in more colorful colors. A perfect example of this was the bright dress she wore on March 17, 1962 which she wore for a boat ride on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, India. She wore a Cassini designed sleeveless apricot colored, knee length dress made in ziberline (with a v-neckline which was accented with a bow at the waist.

Pale Yellow Dress –

During the diplomatic trip to India and Pakistan, Mrs. Kennedy wore a dress designed by Gustave Tassell. The dress was made of pale yellow silk shantung and featured a slit opening at the neckline, cap sleeves and a three-inch wide band around a fitted waist with a full skirt. While in Jaipur, India, where the First Lady met with members of the Peace Corps, she was joined by her sister for an elephant ride at the Amber Palace.

Celadon Evening Dress –

Mrs. Kennedy wore a lovely evening dress designed by Cassini in a beautiful shade called celadon (a light green color) made in a silk jersey. The dress is very fluid in style and features a gently draped bodice and skirt forming soft pleats. Mrs. Kennedy wore the dress to a dinner honoring the Nobel Prize winners which was held at the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1962.

Pink Evening Dress –

State Dinners at the White House were always formal events and the one honoring Andre Malraux, the French Minister of Culture. Malraux was responsible for bringing the Mona Lisa portrait by Leonardo da Vinci to the United States and a dinner was held at the White House on May 11, 1962 to honor him. Mrs. Kennedy wore an evening gown designed by Guy Douvier made in a soft pink silk shantung, the dress wraps together in the back and is tied with a stiff Kabuki-style bow.

Pink Chanel Suit –

During a fateful political trip to Texas, Mrs. Kennedy accompanied President Kennedy scheduled for November 1963. The trip started with their arrival in San Antonio on November 21 with additional stops in Houston and Forth Worth. The next day, November 22 there were additional events in Fort Worth then onto Dallas and Austin followed by a weekend at Vice President Johnson’s Ranch for some relaxation. On the second day Mrs. Kennedy wore a Chanel styled suit which was possibly purchased from the Chez Ninon ready-made collection, the outfit was a personal favorite of her husband. The pink boucle wool suit featured two pieces, a double-breasted jacket with a navy blue collar and a straight skirt. (Fashion Note: It was later confirmed in a Coco Chanel’s 2010 biography that the suit was created with the approval of Chanel using fabric, button and trim supplied by the company but made in New York by Chez Ninon. The reasoning was that for patriotic purposes the suit was made in the United States and not in France)

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Tragically, while the motorcade was traveling through the streets of downtown Dallas on November 22, 1963 President Kennedy was shot and fatally wounded, and later died at Parkland Hospital. In the aftermath, Mrs. Kennedy’s pink suit was stained with her husband’s blood and when asked if she wanted to change she responded, “No, I want them to see what they have done to Jack”. When Air Force One was on route back to Washington, D.C., with the President’s body placed in a coffin at the back of the plane, the new President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in and he insisted that Mrs. Kennedy was present by his side. Photos taken that day show a distraught Mrs. Kennedy, hair in disarray and her hat gone missing but still wearing the blood stained pink suit. Mrs. Kennedy never regretted her decision regarding keeping the suit on until she arrived in Washington, D.C.

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Historical Fashion Note: When Mrs. Kennedy finally removed her pink suit, her maid folded it and placed it in a box that was later sent to Mrs. Kennedy’s mother’s house which she stored in her attic with the simple words, “November 22, 1963”, written on the top of the box. Eventually, the suit was given to the National Archives, transferred into an acid-free container and stored in a climate-controlled room where it has remained there for several years. In 2003, after Mrs. Kennedy’s death in 1994, her daughter, Caroline (the last remaining member of President Kennedy’s immediate family), officially deeded the suit to the National Archives with the condition that prevents it from being seen by the public until at least 2103. An interesting point is that Caroline has declined to comment on the reasons for this restriction; it is the only item in the Kennedy assassination collection with this specific limited access and other items, such as President Kennedy’s clothing he was wearing at the time of the assassination and be viewed by researchers that meet special criteria of the National Archives.

For more information about another important dress, her memorable wedding dress, please look for an upcoming post about the wedding of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier.

For more information about the Kennedy Presidential Library located in Boston, MA where many of Mrs. Kennedy’s dresses are displayed, please click on the link.

Frank Lloyd Wright (Part One)

Posted on June 8, 2015 by barbara

In honor of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday, in Part One of the series on Wright, I will discuss his life and career as one of the most famous American architects. In Part Two, I will highlight several of his famous buildings: Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois, Wright’s home in Arizona known as “Taliesin” and perhaps his most famous and some would say his finest architectural achievement known as “Fallingwater” which is located in Pennsylvania.

The Personal and Professional Life of Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright (born: June 8,1867 died April 9, 1959) was a famed American architect. He was born Frank Lincoln Wright (he changed his middle name after his parents’ divorce to honor his mother’s family name) in Richland Center, Wisconsin. His father, William Wright, was a teacher, minister and lawyer and his mother was Anna Lloyd Jones. His father’s family had lived in Massachusetts and his mother’s family was originally from Wales and had immigrated to Spring Green, Wisconsin.

One significant example of his mother’s influence which would greatly effect Wright’s future occupation as an architect can be traced back to his early childhood. When visiting the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia Mrs. Wright, a former teacher, purchased a set of educational blocks by Friedrich Frobel, known as “Frobel Gifts” these blocks were used as part of his innovative German Kindergarten curriculum. A young Wright played with these geometric shaped maple wood blocks using various combinations that he built into rudimentary structures. Interestingly when looking at Wright buildings constructed throughout his career, distinct geometric shapes are prominently used in the architectural style.

In 1870, the Wright family moved to Weymouth, Massachusetts when Mr. Wright took a job as minister of a small congregation. After struggling financially, the family returned to Wisconsin and settled in Madison where Mr. Wright found employment as the secretary for the newly formed Unitarian society and supplemented his income by also working as a music teacher. Mr. Wright’s musical appreciation would later influence his family, in particular his love of Johann Sebastian Bach. (Wright would say years later that his favorite composer was Ludwig van Beethoven) Sadly in 1885, his parents divorced after many years of an unhappy marriage and Mr. Wright left Wisconsin and severed any further ties with his children.

Wright attended Madison High School, but there is some confusion as to whether he completed his education there and received a diploma. There are records that indicate Wright was enrolled at the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he was a part-time student for two semesters while he worked for a professor of civil engineer, Allan Conover. Once again, he did not complete his course of education and he never received a formal degree. (Many years later, in 1955 the University did award him an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts)

In 1887, Wright moved to Chicago and intended to take advantage of increase construction job opportunities provided after the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871 which destroyed a large portion of the city. Ultimately he found employment a draftsman for the Silsbee architecture firm but he only stayed a short time there due to the fact that the firm designed building in the heavily ornate Victorian style of architecture which was so popular with the public but Wright found unappealing.

Wright then found employment as an apprentice with the Adler & Sullivan architecture firm. Despite the fact that Wright had problems getting along with the other employees, Sullivan saw something in Wright’s design talent and gave him increased responsibility. After Wright met and married his first wife Catherine “Kitty” Tobin in 1889, he arranged a small loan from Sullivan to build a home for his new family and in return Wright signed a five year contract with the firm. A property at the corner of Chicago and Forest Avenue in a suburb of Chicago known as Oak Park was purchased. The existing house on the site was given to Wright’s mother and another home was built for him and his new wife to live in.

By this time, Wright was head draftsman with a private office. In general Adler & Sullivan specialized in commercial buildings, but eventually Wright took commissions for private home designs which he worked on after his regular business hours for the firm in the evenings or on weekends in a personal studio set up at his home in Oak Park. Although Wright would later claim full responsibility for these private homes in reality the general design was dictated by Sullivan, this was later confirmed through the firm’s sketches, and Wright’s contribution was often reduced to only specific details of these projects.

Throughout this time Wright struggled financially due to his extravagant lifestyle and the increasing size of his family who also spent lavishly. Eventually to meet these increased expenses, Wright arranged private commissions which were separate from his work for the firm which he kept secret from Sullivan. Finally Wright’s private commissions were exposed due to the fact that many of the designs were copied from work the firm had done previously and this was quickly noticed and brought to the attention of Sullivan. (Per Wright’s contract with the firm, he was prevented from taking on outside work and it would led to his imminent departure)

Special Note: In his 1932 book, “An Autobiography”, Wright claimed that he was unaware of conditions of the original contract and that Sullivan became very hostile after he found about these private commissions. Sullivan severely restricted any more outside work and refused to issue Wright the deed to the Oak Park house until completed the required terms of the contract with the agreed upon terms being strictly enforced. In turn, Wright claimed the conditions were unjust given his current financial circumstances and “he walked out of the Adler and Sullivan offices never to return again”. Eventually Dankmar Adler, the other partner of the firm, was deemed much more sympathetic to Wright and sent him the deed.

Wright opened his own architecture firm and into a space in the Steinway Hall Building which he shared with three other architects; Robert Spencer, Myron Hunt and Dwight Perkins. Together they inspired the Arts and Crafts movement of a specific type of architectural design known as the Prairie School. His first independent commission with his own firm was the Winslow House located in River Forest, Illinois which was completed in 1894 and it features simple horizontal lines and geometric shapes that have become typical with Wrights architectural designs.

By 1898, Wright had relocated his firm to his home studio as a means of bring both his family and his work together in one location. This made perfect sense because, in regards to his personal life, Wright’s family had quickly expanded with several children and it would be a means of actually spending time with his family. A secondary point that justified the move was that the firm’s current and upcoming projects were literally in the neighborhood of Oak Park or nearby River Forest and Wright could keep a close eye on the progress. This decision to consolidate both his personal life and professional work into one location required that Wright’s home studio, which had been previously used only by him, needed to be enlarged to accommodate his employees and was eventually relocated to the north side of the house.

Over the next 10 years, Wright and his new firm would design and complete 50 projects mostly within the Oak Park area. These “Prairie Houses” were specifically designed to complement the land which surrounded area around Chicago. The exterior of the houses featured low profile buildings with sloping roofs, recessed chimneys and overhangs or terraces using unfinished materials. The interior of the houses were designed with open floor plans featuring few walls or divisions between adjoining rooms and few obstructions creating the illusion of an expansive space. Inspired by Wright’s interest with Japanese architecture and design, he included windows whenever possible arranged long and low allowing the interior and exterior to connect together.

At this time, Wright had also taken a special and very personal commission to replace the Unitarian church in Oak Park which had burn down in 1905; he was a member of the church which was conveniently located less than a mile from Wright’s home and studio. The Unity Temple, church of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, is located on the corner of Lake St. and N. Kenilworth Ave. Constructed of reinforced concrete, the Unity Temple is considered one of Wright’s most important structures because of excellent and expansive use of a commercial space.

Unfortunately, in 1903 when Wright took on a commission to design a house for Edwin Cheney he had no idea it would bring about shame and scandal to his family. In recent years Wright had gained a reputation in Oak Park was as a ladies man and he quickly became interested in Mamah Cheney, the wife of Edwin. Mamah was a modern women and was regarded was an early feminist and Wright felt like her could speak with her on any topic considering her an intellectual equal. The two fell in love but Kitty, Wright’s wife, refused to grant him a divorce and neither would Edwin, Mamah’s husband.

In 1909, Wright had increasingly become flustered with lack of large commercial building commissions and had grown tired of designing the Prairie Style houses. He was offered the chance to publish a book of his work by a Berlin publisher, Ernst Wasmuth and he quickly saw it as both a professional and personal opportunity. He planned an extended trip, he was gone almost a year, traveling from Germany to Italy to study European architecture and he also decided to take Mamah with him leaving both their spouses and children behind. While in Europe, Edwin was granted a divorce from Mamah but Kitty still refused a divorce from Wright.

When Wright returned from his trip in October 1910 he knew he could not continue to live in Oak Park with his estranged wife. The solution to the problem came when Wright persuaded his mother to purchase a large property adjacent to the land currently owned by the Lloyd-Jones (his Mother’s relatives) family in Spring Green, Wisconsin. By May 1911, Wright’s new home was completed and he called it Taliesin. The name was connected to his mother’s Welsh heritage and the Celtic meaning is bard or a male poet.

Finally, after 10 years, Kitty agreed to the divorce from Wright but the under the terms of the decree required Wright to wait a full year before he could remarry. By that time Wright and Mamah had parted company and Wright was involved with Maude “Miriam” Noel. The couple married in November 1923 but due to Miriam’s addiction to morphine the marriage last less than a year.

In 1924, Wright was separated from Miriam but not yet divorced when he met Olgiyanna “Olga” Hinzenburg and the two quickly fell in love. Unfortunately, Olga was still married (she and her husband had a small daughter named Svetlana) but that didn’t prevent her and Wright from moving in together at Taliesin in 1925, at the time Olga was pregnant with Wright’s child, a daughter named Iovanna who was born in December of that same year. Finally by 1927 Wright’s divorce from his second wife was finalized and a year later Wright and Olgiyanna were married in August 1928.

After the drama of his personal life, his professional life was moving in an interesting direction. Wright had moved from his Prairie Style design style toward a design he called “Organic Style” of architecture. In the 1920s, he built several houses in California using concrete blocks reinforced with metal bars; this technique was used for the first time on the John Storer House located in Hollywood, California. The 16 X 16 inch blocks were double stacked with an air gap between the blocks to provide insulation within the walls of the structure and then reinforced both horizontally and vertically with bars. When completed, special care was then taken with the landscape plantings surrounding the structure to give the appearance of perfect harmony nature.

By the 1930s Wright had mastered the Organic Style of architecture and had used the technique to build Fallingwater located in Mill Run, Pennsylvania and Taliesin West which was Wright’s winter home and studio complex located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fallingwater was built between 1934 and 1937 as a private residence for Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Kaufmann. Uniquely constructed over a 30 foot waterfall, the three bedroom house was built in a series of cantilevered terraces which used limestone for the vertical and concrete for the horizontal elements. At the cost of $155,00 is was one of Wright’s most expensive commissions to date. Unfortunately by the 1990s, Fallingwater was found to require structural reinforcement and steel supports were added to the lowest cantilever terrace and by March 2002 the project was completed. Taliesin West was used by Wright as the firm’s studio and was Wright’s last residence from 1937 until his death. Currently Taliesin West continues to be used as site of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and is also the location of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Archives.

Finally, the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York City was the last project personally overseen by Wright and built during the last 16 years of his life. The Guggenheim Museum building seems to rise in a unique spiral from Fifth Avenue. Wright’s original idea intended that visitors would take an elevator to the top floor and then view the Museum’s artwork by slowly descending on a central twisted ramp which was designed to resemble the inside of a seashell but when the construction was completed Wright’s design concept was generally ignored and today’s the Museum art collection is arranged to be viewed by walking up instead of down the curved walkway.

Frank Lloyd Wright died on April 9, 1959 at the age of 91 shortly after surgery performed in Phoenix, Arizona to remove an intestinal obstruction. Wright was survived by his third wife Olga and the children from his three marriages, four boys and three daughters. He was buried at the Lloyd-Jones cemetery near Taliesin, his beloved home in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Frank Lloyd Wright gravesite in Spring Green Wisconsin 3

Frank Lloyd Wright gravesite in Spring Green Wisconsin 2

Twenty-five years later, Olga died in 1985 and it was her dying request to have herself and Wright cremated together and interred in a memorial garden in Taliesin West., Arizona. The remaining Wright family members tried to fight the request and petitioned the courts in Wisconsin to have the architect’s body remain at the Spring Green cemetery. The final decision was made by Iovanna Wright, the daughter of Frank Lloyd and Olga, who signed the exhumation order. There are some people that doubt that this is what the architect would have wanted given his close ties to the Midwest and Wisconsin in particular. Another reason for doubt in granting the request was the emotional state of Iovanna given the fact that she had been living in a private sanitarium in Connecticut for several years. Regardless of these circumstances, the ashes of Wright and Olga cremated together and then buried in Taliesin West, Arizona and the original grave site in Wisconsin is now empty but it is still marked with Wright’s name.

The House of Faberge

Posted on March 31, 2015 by barbara

The House of Faberge is known for designing the beautiful jeweled Russian Imperial Eggs which were created for the Russian Tsars, Alexander III and Nicholas II, between 1885 and 1917. 54 Imperial Eggs were completed during that time and only 42 are known to have survived with many displayed in museums throughout the world or held in personal collections. (For readers interested in more detailed information about the Faberge Eggs, please click on the link to the previous blog post)

In this post I will discuss the men behind the House of Faberge and the history of the company. In addition to the Imperial Eggs, Faberge created a variety of items ranging from jewelry pieces to decorative boxes and desk sets to cigarette cases and perfume bottles to photograph frames and timepieces to semi-precious stone and floral figurines. I will show some examples of these beautiful pieces. But as most things will come to an end, I will discuss what happened to the House of Faberge and to Peter Carl Faberge and his family in the years after the Russian revolution.

A brief history of the House of Faberge

In the early 17^th century, the Favris family was living in the small village of La Bouteille located in northern France. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by King Louis XIV hostilities erupted between the Catholics and the Protestants (also known as Huguenots) and for this reason the Favris family left the country in 1865 because of religious persecution. Over time, as the family progressed east across Europe settling near Berlin, Germany and then in the early 1800s in Pernau in the Baltic province of Livonia, the name of Favris eventually changed to Faberge.

In the 1830s, Gustav Faberge (1814–1893) moved to Saint Petersburg located in Imperial Russia to work as a goldsmith, When his apprenticeship with Andreas Spiegel was completed Gustav had earned the title of Master Goldsmith. In 1842 he opened a small retail jewelry store. Later that year he married Charlotte Jungstedt and they had a son named Peter Carl who was born in 1846. Throughout the following years The House of Faberge proved to be a very prosperous business allowing Gustav to retire in 1860 and the family moved to Dresden located in southern Germany. The Saint Petersburg store in Russia remained open and managed by Peter Hiskias Pendin. After arriving in Dresden, Gustav and Charlotte had a second son named Agathon who was born in 1862.

Meanwhile, Gustav’s oldest son, Peter Carl, had completed his formal education in Dresden and was gaining his business experience by serving his apprenticeship under the guidance of renowned goldsmiths in Germany, France and England. Peter Carl then returned to Saint Petersburg to begin his work at the House of Faberge which had now developed a respected business reputation for quality work and craftsmanship that attracted numerous affluent customers. By 1881, the company had outgrown their small store and moved to a large building on the Bolshaya Morskaya in Saint Petersburg.

House of Faberge - Saint Petersburg circa 1842

In 1882, with the death of his mentor Pendin, Peter Carl took over sole responsibility for the House of Faberge. By this time, his younger brother Agathon had joined him in Saint Petersburg and he was a talented designer who created numerous sketches and wax models so that every jeweled piece would be perfectly crafted with special attention given to every minute detail. At the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow, the brothers caused a sensation with their finely crafted jewelry and decorative items, they received the prestigious gold medal. Tsar Alexander III was so impressed with some of the Faberge pieces displayed at the Exhibition that he granted them the title of Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown. Faberge was given full access to impressive Hermitage Museum collection which inspired him to revive the lost art of enameling.

In 1885, Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Faberge to create the first of what would become known collectively as the Imperial Eggs. Easter is an important celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church and wealthy members of Russian society had started the custom of giving expensive jeweled eggs. That year the Tsar wanted to give a special gift to his wife, Empress Maria Fedorovna. The first Faberge Egg created, known as the Hen Egg, was crafted of gold with a white enameled shell which opened to reveal a series of delightful surprises. The first was a golden yolk which opened to reveal a golden hen which also opened to display a miniature replica of the Imperial Crown created in diamonds and rubies. (Currently, all that remains is the outer gold and enamel shell with the golden yolk and unfortunately the golden hen and miniature crown have been lost.)

When this first egg proved to be a success with the Empress, the Tsar commissioned Faberge to create additional Imperial Easter Eggs every year with the only requirement being that each would contain a hidden surprise. Faberge was given complete creative freedom and his designs became more elaborate and intricate with each passing year. When Alexander III died in 1894 his son Nicholas II continued the family tradition and presented a Faberge egg to both his wife, Empress Alexandra and his mother, now Dowager Empress Maria, every year until 1916. A total of 54 Imperial Eggs were completed and only 42 are known to have survived with many currently displayed in museums throughout the world or held in personal collections. (For readers interested in more detailed information about the Faberge Eggs, please click on the link to the previous blog post)

The Imperial Eggs may be the best known items made by the House of Faberge but with their fine designs and expert techniques they also created numerous types of decorative art objects for the home as well as continuing with their line of exquisite jewelry pieces. Made in gold or silver, enameled and embellished with precious and semi-precious jewels some of the items created were decorative boxes and desk sets, cigarette cases, perfume bottles, photograph frames and timepieces. Shown below are a few examples of these types of items.

Some of the most popular items created by Faberge were their miniature carvings made from semi-precious stones and embellished with gold or silver and semi-precious stones. Some of these hardstone carvings included animal figures such as elephants and pigs. Other items included flower sculptures which featured intricate carved semi-precious stone flowers set in small vases with clear rock crystal or quartz used to simulate the water in the vase. Shown below are a few examples of these types of items.

Faberge hardstone elephant with original box

Faberge - lilies of the valley in a vase

Business was so successful that the House of Faberge opened additional stores in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. With over 500 craftsmen and designers in their employment, Faberge produced between 150,000 to 200,000 objects between 1882 and 1917. Faberge’s work was put on display to represent Imperial Russia at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. The House of Faberge did not compete in the event but it still received a gold medal in recognition of their superior work. Peter Carl Faberge was given the most prestigious French award of a knight of the Legion of Honor.

In 1917, in the midst of World War I, Imperial Russia was in a state of crisis due to poor working conditions, high inflation, social unrest and severe poverty. On March 15, 1917 Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and he and his family were placed under house arrest. By the fall of 1917, the Russian provisional government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks and by the spring of 1918 civil war had broken out across the country. On July 17, 1918, the Tsar and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg, Russia. This tragedy brought about the end of more than three centuries of the Russian Imperial rule by the Romanov dynasty.

During this turbulent time, Peter Carl Faberge and his family fled to various parts of Europe, two of his sons were imprisoned in Russia. The new government eventually seized control of the House of Feberge and the stores were ransacked and their contents disappeared. The contents of the Russian Imperial palaces were confiscated by the Bolsheviks. Large amounts of Imperial gold, silver and jewels were inventoried, packed in crates and taken to the Kremlin Armory in Moscow by order of Vladimir Lenin. Most of the Faberge Imperial Eggs went to the Moscow, some had disappeared during the uncontrolled looting of the palaces and the Dowager Empress was able to escape with one Faberge egg, the Order of St. George Egg.

By 1927, Joseph Stalin had come to power in Russia and the vast Imperial treasures were rediscovered in the storage rooms of the Kremlin. Desperately in need of financing to support his new communist regime Stalin ordered that the Imperial Crown Jewels be appraised and then sold. In a strange twist of fate, Peter Carl Faberge’s son, Agathon, who was currently being held in a Russian prison, was released to evaluate the value of the individual pieces of the Imperial treasures held at the Kremlin Armory. Between 1930 and 1933, fourteen of the Faberge Imperial Eggs were sold and sent to Paris and London.

Ten of the Faberge Eggs were bought by Armand Hammer, an American entrepreneur, a socialist sympathizer and a personal friend of Lenin. He recognized that the treasures of the Romanov dynasty needed to be preserved and he purchased thousands of items including Russian jewels and artwork. His intent was to sell them in the United States but at the time the country was in the midst of the Depression and at first there was very little interest in purchasing such expensive items. Some of the Faberge Eggs were sold at auction for only four or five hundred dollars. Finally after several years the quality of these magnificent pieces of art was fully recognized and the price dramatically increased and the Faberge Eggs are now valued in the millions of dollars. Throughout the years many wealthy Americans and Europeans have acquired the Faberge Eggs, some of those collectors have included Marjorie Merriweather Post and Malcolm Forbes. Currently of the 54 Imperial Eggs made by Faberge, only ten remain in the Kremlin. The remaining ones are displayed in museums throughout the world or held in private collections and eight of the Imperial Eggs are still missing.

The personal life of Carl Faberge and his family

Peter Carl Faberge married Augusta Jacobs in 1872 and they had four sons: Eugene, Agathon, Alexander and Nicolas.

After the Bolsheviks revolution in 1917, with the help of the British Embassy, Peter Carl Faberge escaped from Russia traveling by train to Germany. He was later joined by his wife, Augusta and their oldest son, Eugene who had also escaped from Russia. While in Germany, Peter Carl finally received confirmation that the Tsar and his family had been brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks. Peter Carl was devastated at the loss of his personal friend, with the additional loss of several other members of the Imperial Family and the confiscation of the House of Faberge by the new government, Peter Carl realized he would never return to his beloved Russia. His family was very concerned when he became gravely ill and he traveled with his son Eugene to receive medical treatment in Lausanne Switzerland, his wife remained in Germany. Sadly, Peter Carl died in 1920 and followed by his wife Augusta in 1925. Several years later, in 1929, Eugene took his father’s ashes from Lausanne and had them buried in his mother’s grave at the Grand Jas Cemetery in Cannes, France.

Eugene (1874–1960) the oldest son eventually moved to France in 1924 and opened Faberge et Cie in Paris with his brother Alexander. The new store had only a modest success making and selling jewelry items in the familiar Faberge style. To distinguish their pieces from those made in Russia before the Revolution, they used the trademark Faberge, Paris whereas the original Russian company’s trademark was just Faberge. As a lucrative sideline, the store also repaired and restored the original items made by the House of Faberge that were fortunate to have survived the former Imperial Russia. Eugene died in Paris, France in 1960. (There are no records of any marriage or children)

Agathon (1876–1951) the second son was imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and after the revolution, under orders from the new government, he was released in 1921 to work on appraising and cataloging the Imperial Royal Crown Jewels collection while under constant supervision and surveillance. Eventually, Agathon with his first wife Maria (Borzova) and their son Oleg were able to escape from Russia in 1928. He eventually settled in Finland, studied philately and lived a relatively quiet life. Agathon remarried and his second wife, Lydia (Trueber) had five sons named Agathon, Peter, Fedor, Igor and Rurik. Agathon Faberge died in Helsinki, Finland in 1951.

Alexander (1877–1952) the third son was also imprisoned but only briefly because he managed to escape from prison after bribing the guards. He eventually moved to France in 1924 and opened Faberge et Cie in Paris with his brother, Eugene. He married his first wife Nina (Belicheva) and had a daughter named Irina. He married his second wife and they had a son also named Alexander. Alexander Faberge died in Paris, France in 1952. (The Faberge et Cie continued in business until 2001)

Nicolas (1884–1939) the fourth son went to England in 1906 to work at the House of Faberge location in London and he was still there in 1917 at the time of the Russian revolution. Afterwards, he chose to remain in England and not join his family in Europe. He married Marion Tattershall and they had no children. Later, Nicolas became a photographer and he had a relationship with Doris Cladish whom he had previously met when they worked together at the Bond Street branch of Fabergé. Doris and Nicolas Fabergé had a son Theo in 1922. Nicolas died in Paris France in 1969.

Doris Day’s Birthday

Posted on March 29, 2015 by barbara

Doris Day … she was one of the “it” girls of the 1950s and 1960s. She was an entertainment triple threat meaning that she could sing, dance and act. Doris started her career as a singer with a big band in the early 1940s, later she went to Hollywood where she made many romantic comedies in which she also sang and danced. Doris also received critical acclaim in several dramatic films. When her movie career was coming to an end, she starred in a television series in the late 1960s. Currently, Doris is enjoying her retirement in Northern California and she is an earnest animal activist.

Doris Day was born Doris Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922 (possibly 1923) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother and father were Frederick Kappelhof, a music teacher, and Alma Welz who both came from German immigrant parents. Doris had two older brothers named Richard, (who died before she was born) and Paul. Her parents eventually separated and this did not stop Doris from pursuing her interest in dance but unfortunately a car accident in 1937 caused her legs to be seriously injured and ended her dreams as a professional dancer.

While recovering from her injuries, Doris spent her many idle hours at home listening to the big band music on the radio and she soon discovered she had a talent for singing. Her mother quickly hired a music teacher, remember her parents were separated at this time, and after eight months of lessons Doris took her first professional job as a vocalist on a local radio program. Shortly after her first radio performance, Doris was invited to audition as a singer for Barney Rapp’s small band. He suggested that she change her professional name to the easier sounding Doris Day. Eventually, Doris went onto work for several famous bandleaders such Bob Crosby and Les Brown. It was while Doris was with the Les Brown Band that she recorded a hit song with the group called “Sentimental Journey” which was released in 1945. Her professional singing career was taking off and she quickly recorded six more Top Ten hits before she left the Les Brown Band in 1946, at the time she was the highest paid female band vocalist.

Touring almost continuously and also performing on Bob Hope’s weekly radio program with the Les Brown Band gave her maximum exposure that allowed Doris the opportunity to showcase her singing talent which ultimately lead to her first starring role in a motion picture. The story goes that while she was in Hollywood, her agent arranged for her to attend a party at the home of composer Jule Styne. As was sometimes customary at Hollywood parties, Doris was invited to sing and her rendition of “Embraceable You” impressed not only Styne but also his partner Sammy Cahn and they recommended her for a role in a Warner Brothers film called “Romance on the High Seas. Over the next few years she had roles in several musical films, such as “On Moonlight Bay” and its sequel “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”. In 1953, Doris starred in the film musical, “Calamity Jane” which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Secret Love”. In 1954, under the advice of her third husband Martin Melcher, Doris did not renew her film contract with Warner Brothers.

Doris Day - By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Now under the management of Melcher, Doris took on some more challenging parts in her movies. Her first dramatic role was in the 1955 movie, “Love Me or Leave Me, in which she co-starred with James Cagney and many people in the industry were surprised when she did not receive an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of singer Ruth Etting. Next she went on to work for Alfred Hitchcock in the 1956 film, “The Man Who Knew Too Much” with James Stewart. One of the songs from the movie, “Que Sera, Sera” (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In 1959, Doris’ career once again changed directions and she left the darker dramatic roles and took on parts in lighter romantic comedies. The 1959 movie, “Pillow Talk” had her co-starring with Rock Hudson and Tony Randall; she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress but did not win. Later Doris went on to film two more movies with Hudson and Randall, the 1961 “Lover Come Back” and the 1964 “Send Me No Flowers”. In 1960, she took on her last dramatic role in the 1960 mystery-thriller film, “Midnight Lace” co-starring with Rex Harrison. Then, she returned to the popular romantic comedy roles with the 1962 film “That Touch of Mink” co-starring with Cary Grant and two movies with James Garner that were both released in 1963, “The Thrill of It All” and “Move Over, Darling”.

By the end of the 1960s the romantic comedy genre was not as popular with movie audiences. The 1966 film, “The Glass Bottom Boat” proved to be a box office failure. Then in 1967, Doris turned down a part of Mrs. Robinson in “The Graduate” movie because she felt the script’s sexual situations were offensive. She made a few more films and in 1968 her final movie role in “With Six You Get Eggroll” was released. Doris had made 39 films during her movie career and she was one of the world’s biggest movie stars.

During the time Doris was making movies in Hollywood she also continued recording music. From the period of 1945 to 1967, Doris was one of the nation’s most popular and accomplished singers. Starting in 1945, with the Les Brown Band, Doris had several songs in the Top Ten including “Sentimental Journey”. “Secret Love” from the movie “Calamity Jane” was her first big solo record that hit number one on the charts in 1953 and “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) in 1956 hit number 2.

With the end of her film career virtually coming to a close in the late 1960s, Doris branched out into television. The story goes that after her manager and third husband, Martin Melcher, died suddenly in 1968 and she found out that he and his business partner Jerome Rosenthal had embezzled almost all of Doris’ earnings leaving her on the verge of bankruptcy. Melcher had also committed her to doing a television series and Doris was unhappy about the thought because at the time it would have been considered a backward step down for a popular movie star. Unfortunately she was contractually obligated to precede with the television series, it ran on CBS from September 1968 until March 1973 for five seasons and 128 episodes. Meanwhile, Doris filed a lawsuit against Rosenthal and eventually won settlement of $20 million dollars, the largest civil judgement case in the state of California at the time, but she later settled the case for about $6 million.

Doris received several awards in the years that followed; she received the Cecil B. DeMile Award for Lifetime Achievement Film in 1989. In 2004, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her achievement not only in the entertainment industry but also for her work as an animal activist but she did not attend the ceremony due to her fear of flying. In 2008, she was offered a special tribute from the American Film Institute and also a Kennedy Center Honors tribute but she declined both. She received Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for her three of her most popular records; in 1998 for “Sentimental Journey”, in 1999 for “Secret Love” and recently in 2012 for “Que Sera, Sera”. In 2008, she received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in Music but once again she did not attend the ceremony.

After leaving Los Angeles, Doris retired from show business to live in the beautiful city of Carmel, California. She always had an interest in animals and now she reignited her commitment to animal welfare by co-founding the organization, Actors and Others for Animals in 1971. A few years later, Doris started her non-profit organization, the Doris Day Animal Foundation which later partnered with the Humane Society of the United States. Doris lives quietly in Carmel, she owns the Cypress Inn in town, and she enjoys her life with her adopted stray animals.

In regards to Doris Day’s personal life, she published her autobiography, “Doris Day: Her Own Story” co-written with A.E. Hotchner in 1975. In the book, she wrote about her early childhood in Ohio, touring with the Big Bands and later making movies in Hollywood. She also wrote about her three marriages, she later married for a fourth time.

Her first husband, Al Jorden, was a trombonist and they were married from 1941 to 1943. They had one child, a boy named Terrence or better known as “Terry” in 1942. The short marriage was a volatile one and Jorden was said to have been physically abusive, they divorced and Jorden later committed suicide in 1967.

Her second husband, George Weidler, was a saxophonist and they were married from 1946 to 1949. He is responsible for introducing her to Christian Science.

Her third husband was Martin Melcher, who went on to manage Doris’ career and produce several of her movies, and they were married from 1951 until his death in 1968. During that time Melcher adopted Doris’ son, Terry. Terry went on to be a successful musician and record producer but sadly he died in 2004 from melanoma.

Her fourth husband was Barry Comden, a businessman and restaurateur, and they were married from 1976 to 1981, Comden later died in 2009.

A Cinderella Fairytale

Posted on March 13, 2015 by barbara

In honor of the new Disney “Cinderella” movie being released in March 2015, this post will discuss the history of one of the world’s most famous fairytales. For centuries now the Cinderella story has been the favorite story that little girls love to hear and they dream about someday the possibility that they could find their own “Prince Charming”. The versions of the Cinderella story that my generation fondly remembers are the 1950 Disney animated movie, the 1957 Rogers and Hammerstein television musical starring Julie Andrews and the remake that was televised in 1965 starring Leslie Ann Warren. Over the last few years there have been more modern interpretations, such as “Ever After” starring Drew Barrymore, “A Cinderella Story” starring Hillary Duff and “Another Cinderella Story” starring Selena Gomez.

A brief history of the Cinderella Fairytale

The story of Cinderella has been told throughout the centuries in different parts of the world and the lead character has been known by various names. The settings or the situations may also vary from one story to another but the basic plot is usually about a young girl who finds herself in difficult circumstances beyond her control which she valiantly overcomes.

The two most popular and well known versions date back to a very long time ago. The 1697 French story of Cendrillon was written by Charles Perrault and introduced such plot elements as the fairy godmother, the pumpkin carriage and the glass slippers. The story starts when a widower with a small daughter marries a woman with two daughters. The widower’s daughter is forced to work from dawn to dusk performing menial chores for the household and often falls asleep by the fireplace in an effort to stay warm. She frequently wakes covered in cinders and her stepsisters taunt her with the name of Cendrillon. Sadly, her father is completely unaware of the abuse and cruelty. Meanwhile, the King and Queen are planning on having a ball to introduce the Prince to the eligible young women in the hopes that he will find a wife. The stepsisters taunt Cendrillon by telling her that servants are not to be invited to the ball. On the night of the ball, the stepsisters leave dressed in their finest gowns. After they depart, Cendrillon starts to cry and suddenly her magical fairy godmother appears to transform Cendrillon’s rags into a beautiful gown and turns a pumpkin from the garden into a grand golden carriage with several mice turned into horses to pull the carriage. The final touch is a lovely pair of glass slippers to cover her bare feet but the fairy godmother warns her that Cendrillon needs to return before midnight which is when the spell will be broken and everything will return to its original state. She arrives at the ball and the Prince soon becomes enchanted with the beautiful Cendrillon and they dance together and quickly fall in love. But at the stroke of midnight Cendrillon suddenly leaves the ball and in her haste she loses one of her glass slippers. The Prince tries to follow but Cendrillon has vanished and all that remains is the glass slipper. The Prince vows to find and marry the girl who lost her shoe but won his heart! The Prince sets out find her and in his quest he travel across the countryside having all the unmarried women try on the shoe. When he appears at the home of Cendrillon, the stepsisters try on the shoe, but of course it doesn’t fit them. When it is Cendrillon’s turn to try on the shoe it fits perfectly. The story ends happily with the Prince marrying Cendrillon.

The 1812 German story of Achenputtel was written by the Brothers Grimm the plot is basically the same as the earliest version but in this one Achenputtel’s wishes are granted not by a fairy godmother but by a wishing tree that grows over her mother’s grave. The story starts “once upon a time” with Achenputtel’s mother on her deathbed making one last request which is that her daughter will always remain good and kind. A year later, Achenputtel’s father remarries a woman with two daughters who, despite the fact that they are beautiful, prove to be cruel. While Achenputtel’s father is frequently away on business he is unaware of the fact that the stepsisters steal Achenputtel’s clothes and jewels which forces her to wear rags and she is soon put to work in the kitchen as a common servant. Despite these troubling circumstances Achenputtel remains good and kind. Then the king decides to give a festival and invites all the women of the land to attend so that the prince could select one to marry. When Achenputtel asks to attend the festival, her stepmother throws a bowl of lentils into the ashes of the fireplace for her to pick up telling her that when she has finished the task she can go, meanwhile the stepmother and her daughters leave for the festival. Aschenputtel is deeply saddened about being left behind and she goes to her mother’s grave under the wishing tree and starts to weep. Desperate, she asks for help and a white bird arrives with a beautiful white gown and golden silk slippers and Aschenputtel can now go to the ball. The prince sees her at the ball and they dance together. But as the clock strikes midnight she must leave the ball before the spell it broken and in her rush to go she loses one of her golden slippers. The prince finds the slipper and vows to find the beautiful girl whose foot will fit the shoe. The next day the prince arrives at the house, first the eldest stepsister tries the shoe and it doesn’t fit and the other stepsister tries the shoe and it doesn’t fit. Then, Aschenputtel comes out of the kitchen and the prince has her try the shoe on and it fits! The prince has found her the story ends with them getting married and living “happily ever after”. (unfortunately, the story does not end well for the stepsisters and at the wedding their eyes are pecked out by the white bird).

Here is a list of some of the recent versions of the Cinderella fairytale –

“Cinderella” Disney animated movie

The Disney animated movie is probably one of the most popular and well known versions of the Cinderella fairytale. It was the twelfth Walt Disney animated movie and was released on February 15, 1950. At the time the movie was being made, the Disney Studios was experiencing some financial problems and was over $4 million dollars in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. Disney had high hopes that “Cinderella” would be successful enough to turn the studio finances around and luckily the movie turned out to be both a critical and financial success. The movie featured such memorable songs, such as “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes”, “Biddidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and “So This Is Love”. The plot of the movie followed the French version of “Cendrillon” by Charles Perrault and featured many of the same elements of the story such as the fairy godmother, the pumpkin carriage and the glass slippers. (The 1950 Disney animated version of the Cinderella story is one that most people will remember and it will probably remain a favorite version of the fairytale for the generations that will follow)

Rodgers and Hammerstein “Cinderella” musical for television

This version of Cinderella is the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that has been written specifically for television and it starred Julie Andrews in the title role. The original broadcast was done live on CBS on March 31, 1957. It proved to be so popular with television audiences that it was remade in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren and again in 1997 starring Brandy Norwood. All three productions followed the French version of the “Cendrillion” story and featured original music by Rodgers and Hammerstein with songs such as” “In My Own Little Corner”, “Impossible, It’s Possible”, “Ten Minutes Ago” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”. (The 1965 televised musical version of the Cinderella story is one that most of my generation will fondly remember from their childhood)

“Ever After” – 1998 movie

The 1998 “Ever After” movie is a romantic comedy drama starring Drew Barrymore in the lead role of Danielle and Anjelica Huston as the cruel stepmother. The movie treats the story as historical fiction set in France and eliminated all the plot elements pertaining to the fairy godmother, a magical pumpkin but keep the idea of the special shoes and made them more realistic instead of glass slippers. Cleverly, the story starts with the Brothers Grimm arriving to interview a woman to find out if there is any truth to an old family story. What makes the movie different from other previous ones is that even though the film is set in the Renaissance period, the interpretation of this version of the classic fairytale is very modern in concept and features a distinctive feminist theme by having Danielle save not only the Prince at one point in the film but also herself from a less than desirable fate toward the end of the film. The story ends with the couple married while the stepmother and stepsister are justifiably destined to live a fate similar to what they imposed on Danielle as that of a lowly servant. (Of all the recent Cinderella movies, “Ever After” is a personal favorite of mine. I think it is well written with a strong female lead character in charge of her own destiny and it is beautifully filmed with great actors!)

“A Cinderella Story” movie

The 2004 “A Cinderella Story” movie is aimed at the teenage audience. The movie stars Hillary Duff as Samantha “Sam” Montgomery, Chad Michael Murray as Austin Ames, Jennifer Coolidge as Fiona the stepmother and Regina King as Rhonda the co-worker that helps her out. The movie starts when an earthquake strikes the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, CA. Sam’s father is killed and he has left no will to provide for Sam after his death, so the house and diner go to Fiona. Then, jump ahead eight years later, Sam is now a high school senior and living unhappily with her stepmother and her two silly stepsisters while working at the diner to save money to attend Princeton University, the studious Sam earns the nickname of “Diner Girl”. In an internet chat room, Sam meets a boy known only as “Nomad”, which is really Austin the popular quarterback of the school. “Nomad” requests that they met each other at the school masquerade dance. Sam is dressed beautifully in a white gown and is wearing a mask to hide her identity while Austin is dressed as a dashing musketeer. The two meet at the appointed hour and they share a romantic dance but before Sam can reveal who she really is it is midnight and she needs to get back to the diner before her stepmother finds out that she is gone, in her haste to leave Sam loses her cell phone. Of course, when Austin tries to find out who the phone belongs to several girls, including Sam’s stepsisters, claim be the mystery girl. The stepsister’s find out that Sam is in fact the mystery girl and they tell Austin’s ex-girlfriend, a popular cheerleader, and during the school pep rally for the big game they reveal Sam as the mystery girl. Sam is humiliated and believes Austin betrayed her. Meanwhile, when the notice of Sam’s acceptance to Princeton comes in the mail, Fiona hides the letter and tells Sam her application was rejected and she now believes that she will be stuck working at the diner for a very long time. Eventually, with the help of Rhonda, Sam regains her confidence to stand up to Fiona and tells her she is quitting and moves in with Rhonda. Sam also finds the courage to confront Austin in the locker room before the game. Later, while out on the field during the game, Austin sees Sam in the stands and leaves the field to apologize to her. They kiss as the rain starts to fall ending the long drought that has plagued Southern California for so long. Later, Sam is back at her old home packing up her belongings and Sam finds her father’s will hidden in one of her children’s fairytale books. It seems that according to the will her father has left everything to Sam and not Fiona. At the end of the movie, Rhonda is now the manager of the diner and Fiona and the stepsisters are forced to work off the money they “stole” from Sam. The last scene of the movie shows Sam and Austin driving off together to travel to Princeton.

“Another Cinderella Story” movie

The 2008 “Another Cinderella Story” is another movie aimed at the teenage audience. It is a romantic musical version of the Cinderella story and stars Selena Gomez as Mary Santiago who is a high school student who has dreams of becoming a dancer. Like most Cinderella stories, Mary lives with her stepmother Dominique, played by Jane Lynch, who forces Mary to do menial work around the house. Joey Parker, as played by Drew Seeley, is a famous singer/dancer that has recently returned to finish his senior year at the same school as Mary. The two meet at a masquerade dance and Joey quickly notices Mary, but he doesn’t know who she is since she is wearing a mask, and they enjoy a fabulous tango. But as most Cinderella stories go, Mary must suddenly leave the dance at the stroke of midnight and rush home before her stepmother realizes she is gone. This time in her haste to go it is not a shoe that Mary leaves behind but a MP3 player. Joey finds it and takes it to school to search for the girl who lost it and eventually Joey finds out it was Mary. The movie ends with Mary winning a dance competition hosted by Joey and she gets into a prestigious dance school.

“Cinderella” – 2015 Disney live action movie

The latest version of the Cinderella story is being released in March 2017 by Disney. It is a live-action version this time and not an animated film. The story starts when her father unexpectedly dies and Ella (Lily James) finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, and she is forced to become their maid. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to despair. An invitation to a palace ball gives Ella hope that she might reunite with the dashing stranger (Richard Madden) that she had met in the woods, but her stepmother prevents her from going. Of course, she receives help from a beggar woman who has a magic touch for ordinary things.

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

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