"My Royal Past By Baroness Von Bulop" 1939 BEATON, Cecil
$750
BEATON, Cecil
[146] pp.
B.T. Batsford, Ltd
1939
10" x 7 3/4"
More than 200 illustrations and a coloured frontispiece from an oil painting of the Baroness
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It's an unusual book from Beaton, being the spoof memoirs of Baroness Von Bülop, lady-in-waiting to her aunt Maria-Hedwig, Grand Duchess of Hapsburg. The book features photographs of Beaton's friends dressing and cross-dressing as the fictional characters in the memoir. Tony Gandarillas gamely dressed up as the Baroness and Tilly Losch was cast as the beautiful Aunt. Frederick Ashton, Christian Bérard, Lady Bridget Parsons, Francis Rose, John Sutro, David Herbert, Osbert Lancaster and Lord Berners were also enlisted to pose in lace and feathers.
Cecil Beaton had a talent to amuse, but in producing this delightful satire of Victorian era royalty, he had ample opportunity to be amused as well. In addition to the b&w illustrations, which he drew, he assembled friends such as Christian Bérard and Sir Francis Rose to pose for outlandish staged photographs. In most, they appear in drag, portraying royal dowagers. There was a second edition published, much pared down. This original edition contains beautiful photogravure plates not found in the reprint. The dust jacket is scarce.
“Like many another honeymoon, mine was not a happy experience. Not that I expected to be happy. I was prepared probably to be made uncomfortable.”
--Baroness von Bülop