Tuesday 15 September 2009

From A to C without Lucia

Dresser of souls led to...



The Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, Mrs. Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant by John Singer Sargent

The symbol of the English clique known as The Souls.



Which in turn led to...




Clouds: The Biography of a Country House

The house built by Percy and Madeline Wyndham that would become known as the house of the age.




And finally ...




Cabinet designed by Philip Webb in 1861.

Philip Webb was the architect who not only designed Clouds but also William Morris's country retreat, The Red House.



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8 comments:

The Consummate Hostess said...

Love this Sargent piece, the detail in the fabric is incredible. Isn't it funny how one thing inevitably leads you down a different path, happens to me all of the time. Nice post.

Talitha Love said...

Ok, well I am going to be NOSY, and ask WHO ARE YOU?

Thinking I am the only one knowledgeable of "the Souls", and DV, Seb Hors, Clouds, and so many other subjects that you routinely cover with grace, knowledge and style.
I do not normlly read blogs, not do I comment upon them, but I am so splendidly happy you have returned, as I missed your voice and insight that I am donig so.
Plese continue and never stop. You are, obviously a beautiful, brillian mind, and I am so happy to read your words each time.
I like your "ton".
Kind regards, Thea

Thombeau said...

Oh my god, that cabinet!

soodie :: said...

Love Philip Webb....

Pigtown-Design said...

OMG, that house!

little augury said...

The cabinet is beautiful, I have blabbed about the book Byatt's The Children's Book- You must read-if you havent already. As I look back I don't really say incredible plot etc- But the ambiance of the whole thing is just wonderful. Right of the period you speak about hear-with mention of everything that was churning by 1900. Fascinating. I may borrow that cabinet foto for a visual compendium of the book. GT

Diane Dorrans Saeks said...

HOBAC--

I am in a dream...allusive post here.

I love the Wyndham girls' portrait by Singer Sargent. In fact, love anything by Singer Sargent. The paintings are so refined, so detailed and bright and so flattering...one rather wonders if the images bore any trace of reality...and did they have to?
He also understood style and chic. Clouds, checking on. happy days, www.thestylesaloniste.com

Errant Aesthete said...

I, too, love the Sargent painting of the Wyndham girls and am convinced Lucile designed and stitched the gowns.

"For me there was a positive intoxication in taking yards of shimmering silks, laces as airy as gossamer and lengths of ribbons, delicate and rainbow-coloured, and fashioning of them garments so lovely that they might have been worn by a princess in a fairy-tale."