Tag: british history

TPIP Profile #8: Jean Ross, Far From Fiction 

Georgia HazeLeave a comment

Name: Jean Iris Ross Cockburn 

Born: 7th May 1911

Died: 27th April 1973

Country of Origin: England, UK 

In a nutshell: Best known as the inspiration for the apolitical and hedonistic Sally Bowles in the novels of Christopher Isherwood and the musical Cabaret, Jean Ross’ wild life took her from the Berlin cabaret clubs of the Weimar Republic to the war-torn streets of Madrid as a correspondent. 

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Have you seen the musical Cabaret or read the novels of Christopher Isherwood? Maybe you’ve heard Liza Minelli belting the title track as the Kit Kat Club’s Sally Bowles? Did you know Sally Bowles was based on a real person? This was author Christopher Isherwood’s friend, the then 19 year-old Jean Ross. When she was living in Berlin she worked as a cabaret club singer before the political situation in Germany made her and her bohemian circle up and leave. But, this is only the start of the life and times of Jean Ross so let’s take a deeper look into this often misrepresented figure. 

Born in Egypt in 1911 to British parents, Jean Ross left Africa to be brought up in England. She was a vastly intelligent but often bored child and hated school. At the age of 16 she pretended to be pregnant so she would be expelled. Her parents then sent her to a Swiss finishing school but Jean went rogue and enrolled into the Royal Academy for Dramatic Art before dropping out, getting a small part in a movie and moving to Berlin to pursue an acting career. 

At this point in history, the Weimar Republic led Germany. This was the German government from the end of the First World War in 1918 to the accession of the Nazi party in 1933. This period was one of cultural and artistic revolution but also of hyperinflation and mass unemployment due to the war and the Great Depression. Whilst working as a cabaret singer and small-time actress in Berlin in this unsettled Germany, Jean Ross met British-American author Christoper Isherwood, a man who would have a huge impact on her life. 

Isherwood had been drawn to Berlin to explore the night life, especially the gay clubs and cabarets. After their first meeting, in which Jean Ross spoke openly about her sexual conquests, they became close friends and began living together. Through her connection to Isherwood, Ross became familiar with many other gay male writers in Isherwood’s circle of friends. 

It was around this time that Ross entered into a relationship with actor Peter van Eyck but soon they parted and Ross discovered she was pregnant. Isherwood helped her get an abortion but due to complications, Ross spent time in hospital recovering from what turned out to be a botched abortion. Through this time, the poverty in Germany and Hitler’s influence in the local attitudes towards minorities, Jews in particular, was turning Ross and Isherwood’s beloved Berlin into a much darker environment, though it took them time to see it. Ross left Germany for the UK in 1932. Isherwood stayed a while longer due to his relationship with the German Heinz Neddermeyer but after Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, he and Neddermeyer followed Ross. 

Back in London, Ross began work as a theatre and film actress, model and reporter. The latter of those roles was secured through her relationship with communist journalist Claud Cockburn. He greatly influenced Ross’ political leanings and helped her get a job writing for left-wing newspaper the Daily Worker. Not forgetting her friends though, Ross used her connections in the British film industry to help both herself and Isherwood get jobs as translators. Isherwood would soon thrive in the film industry but also turned back to writing novels. He revisited his diaries from his time in Berlin and wrote a novella called Sally Bowles inspired by his friends and experiences from the Weimar Republic. It was apparent though that Sally Bowles was very much inspired by Jean Ross, especially as her abortion appeared as a scene in the book. Ross was initially reluctant to give Isherwood permission to publish the novella due to abortion still being illegal and a taboo subject in Britain at the time but eventually she relented and Sally Bowles became a huge hit. 

Ross continued her work in the film industry by writing film criticism in the Daily Worker and even serving as the General Secretary of the British Workers’ Film and Photo League which sought to make films with an anti-capitalist focus. 

Things soon changed again for Ross when she starting working in Spain as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War. She worked there with Cockburn and her lover John Cornford until Cornford died fighting as part of the Spanish communists’ militia. Over the next few years, Ross worked as a war correspondent for the Daily Express. She remained in Spain despite the bombings and often reported directly from the front lines. She witnessed the Siege of Madrid and returned to England just two months before giving birth to her daughter Sarah by Cockburn. Cockburn left Ross and their daughter for another woman just three months later.

Ross moved to Hertfordshire with her mother and daughter and devoted herself to raising Sarah whilst never losing her strong socialist opinions. She died in 1973 from cancer. 

It was only after Ross’ death that Isherwood finally confirmed Sally Bowles had indeed been based on Ross. Sarah Caudwell, Ross’ daughter, wrote an article in 1986 shedding some light on how Ross truly felt about the connection. The article shares how Ross felt frustration over the fame the portrayal gave her, how journalists wanted to know about her sexual exploits and not anything about the work she had done in her political and journalistic career. Understandably so, whether you agree with her political stance or not, you can’t argue that, though Sally Bowles is a fascinating character, every moment of Jean Ross’ life following her departure from Berlin shows her to politically-driven and deeply concerned for the welfare of others, two traits that you don’t see in Sally Bowles. In fact, there is some reason to believe that Isherwood, with all the success and fame, was perhaps projecting his own lack of understanding of the political climate in 1930s Germany onto Sally.  

In Sarah Caudwell’s article she said that her mother “may well, at 19, have been less informed about politics than Isherwood, five or six years older; but, when the Spanish war came and the fascists were bombing Madrid, it was she, not Isherwood, who was there to report it.”… which seems to sum up the situation pretty well. 

Thanks for reading!

*Image sourced through Wikimedia Commons

TPIP Profiles #4: Florence Balcombe, Real-Life Vampire Slayer

Georgia HazeLeave a comment

Name: Florence Balcombe/Stoker

Born: 17th July 1858

Died: 25th May 1937

Country of origin: Ireland and England, UK

In a nutshell: Florence Balcombe was a savvy businesswoman who fought tooth and nail to slay the vampire Count Orlok and protect the rights of her late husband’s masterpiece. 

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Have you heard of Nostferatu? A German horror film way back from the days of silent cinema? If not, don’t worry, put a pin (or should it be stake?) in that for now and we’ll circle back to it later.

First, let me tell you a little bit about Florence Balcombe. She was born in Cornwall in 1858 to a military family but then moved to Ireland at age two. As she grew up, she was considered a real beauty and became the subject of many art pieces, including a sketch by her then-boyfriend, Oscar Wilde (yes, the one you’re thinking of). 

This is a quote from Wilde that describes just what he thought of her:

“I am just going out to bring an exquisitely pretty girl to afternoon service in the Cathedral. She is just seventeen with the most perfectly beautiful face I ever saw and not a sixpence of money. I will show you her photograph when I see you next.”

However, Florence and Wilde’s relationship wasn’t built to last and two years into their courtship, Florence moved on to another famous Dublin resident with a name you might recognise. Florence and Bram Stoker married in 1878 and subsequently moved to London so that Bram could follow his theatrical ambitions by taking the job as a manager at the Lyceum Theatre in London’s West End (now the home of The Lion King but not then obviously, they just had regular Hamlet in the late 1800s). 

Wilde was initially hurt by Florence’s decision but eventually they came to be good friends and the newly married Stokers had a happy marriage by all accounts. Bram flourished in his role and became friends with leading Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving. Allegedly they even bonded over both having wives with the name ‘Florence’ since it had been popularised in recent decades due to a certain Lady with the Lamp. The Stokers even named their only child after their friend and had him christened ‘Irving Noel Thornley Stoker’. 

It was during Bram’s time working at the Lyceum that he began working on his novel, Dracula. The character was said to be inspired both by the legendarily ruthless fifteenth century ruler Vlad the Impaler and Bram’s old buddy Irving. 

Unfortunately, the novel suffered limited success and critical disdain after it was published in 1897 and as Bram aged he experienced many health problems. Due to Bram’s poor health, Florence cared for her husband and took charge of family affairs. Bram even remarked to his brother that “she had to do all the bookkeeping and find the money to live on – God only knows how she managed”.

It was after Bram’s death in 1912 that Florence’s business insight really sharpened. After the discovery of a discarded chapter from the original book, Florence had this published as extra content. Then she sold the rights of the book in various countries. Despite the initial critical resistance, the more people that read Dracula or saw an adaptation on stage, the more Bram’s terrifying villain was starting to solidify his place as a horror icon.

It was how Florence took on sinister spook Count Orlok, the vampire villain of the 1922 movie Nosferatu, that really got people talking though. Nosferatu, made by a German film studio called Prana, had many similarities to Dracula but no rights or permissions had been sought prior to the film’s release. So, Florence, as the rights holder of Dracula, took Prana to court. A three-year legal battle followed with the Society of Authors flying to Florence’s side. Eventually, Florence won the case. Prana ended up declaring bankruptcy and every copy of Nosferatu was to be destroyed.

However, as Florence should know from her husband’s book, it’s pretty hard to slay a vampire and despite the claim that all copies had been destroyed, the film resurfaced a few years later and is now a cult classic and staple of early silent horror movies. You just can’t kill the undead, Flo. 

To find out more about Florence, head to the Women’s Museum of Ireland website. Image credit goes to Merlin Holland, the picture was drawn by Oscar Wilde.

TPIP Profiles #3: The Fearless Mary Seacole

Georgia HazeLeave a comment

Name: Mary Seacole

Born: 23rd November 1805

Died: 14th May 1881

Country of origin: Jamaica and England, UK

In a nutshell: Mary Secole was a nurse with an epic drive to help others. She is best known for her time as a war nurse on the frontlines of battle and for turning her incredible life into a Victorian bestseller.

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Mary Seacole was a healer with plenty of bottle. From working with the sick in a cholera epidemic to healing on the frontlines of war, Seacole certainly wasn’t afraid to do what was necessary (and then some!) to help others. She is best known now for her time as a nurse in the Crimean War though she’s not usually the nurse people tend to most closely associate with this particular conflict. Whilst Florence Nightingale did some wonderful things for nursing and we’ll definitely tell her story at a later point, I want to put Mary Seacole first because more people need to know her story.

Seacole was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805. Her father was a white Scottish lieutenant and her mother was a black boarding house manager. At this point in history, slavery had yet to be abolished but she was born into ‘freedom’ which meant her rights were still greatly restricted as a mixed race woman. As a child, Seacole developed a love of medicine from her mother who was known locally as ‘The Doctress’. She practised Jamaican folk medicine on her dolls and pets and met many injured soldiers from helping at her mother’s boarding house. Soon enough, she was heading on a career path in nursing and took a trip abroad to learn more. 

She travelled to London, Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas and developed her medical knowledge more and more along the way. After returning to Jamaica in 1826, Seacole went on to meet her husband Edwin Horatio Hamilton Seacole and the two married in 1836. However, Edwin became ill and despite Mary’s nursing, he died only years into their marriage. Her mother died not long after and Seacole suffered greatly with the grief. 

She was still in Jamaica when the cholera epidemic came and she began treating sufferers at her mother’s boarding house, revamped due to a fire. In 1851, Seacole travelled to Cruces in Panama and the cholera epidemic followed. She treated the cholera victims in the area until eventually catching the illness herself. She recovered and returned to Kingston in 1853 where she began treating those with yellow fever. It was during this time that Seacole was asked to treat the soldiers at Up-Park Camp, British army headquarters in Jamaica. 

News soon reached Seacole of the outbreak of the Crimean War all the way in eastern Europe and she felt compelled to help the injured soldiers. She travelled to Britain once again and asked the Home Office if she could be enlisted as an army nurse but was denied. In her autobiography, Seacole herself questions whether her rejection from both the Home Office and the Crimean Fund, a fund-raising campaign to support the injured troops, was down to racism. However, Seacole was determined to help those in need and be reunited with her ‘sons’, the British soldiers she’d healed previously, and she funded her own trip to the Crimea. When she got there, she developed the British Hotel with her late husband’s relative, Thomas Day. The hotel treated the sick and wounded close to the frontlines and news of her kindness and bravery made its way back to British shores.

Despite her fame, Seacole returned to Britain at the end of the war practically penniless. However, those she had saved weren’t so quick to forget her good deeds and countless letters were written into the media of the time thanking her for her care and donations started coming in to support her financially. She also generated funds from her autography, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole, a bestseller of the time.

Seacole moved back to Jamaica for a short while before settling in London. She had friends in high places at this time and even had a bust created of her by Queen Victoria’s nephew. She died in 1881 and her name fell into obscurity for many years. Her story has been given much more love and attention in recent times as more black and mixed race history is brought into the spotlight. A statue of her was placed in front of St Thomas’ Hospital in London in 2016.

To learn more about Seacole, visit the Mary Seacole Trust website. Thank you for reading.

Credit to the National Portrait Gallery for the Mary Seacole portrait (painted by Albert Charles Challen)

TPIP Profiles #1: Mary Wollstonecraft

Georgia HazeLeave a comment

Name: Mary Wollstonecraft

Born: 27th April 1759

Died: 10th September 1797

Country of origin: England, UK

In a nutshell: Mary Wollstonecraft is one of history’s best-known proto-feminists. As a writer, she is most famous her publication, A Vindication on the Rights of Woman 🙌

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‘I plead for my sex, not for myself’

When you learn about the lives of women in the past, it’s not hard to see how early feminist ideas were starting to ignite, even decades before the first women’s suffrage movement. One of the first epic rally cries for gender equality was committed to paper fearlessly by arguably the best-loved and most renowned proto-feminist in Britain, Mary Wollstonecraft.

Wollstonecraft was no stranger to inequality. Even as a child, she saw the unfairness in her brother being able to attend school full-time while her education wasn’t a priority for her family. She was determined to learn though and by the time she was 25, she had co-founded a school for girls in London. Unfortunately, the school was short-lived and closed after the death of her co-founder and good friend, Fanny Blood. She then found work as a governess for some time before making it as a writer. 

Although her experience at the school hadn’t lasted, it did lead to the first of Wollstonecraft’s bold treatises, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters. Wollstonecraft was a keen advocate for gender equality in education and firmly believed women were just as intelligent as men. She even claimed that her theory could be proven if men and women were given the same lessons. Her work saw her gain a place among some of the great thinkers and writers of the Enlightenment and during this time she thrived, both from her new-found circle of friends and from the sea of change gripping Western Europe and North America. The French Revolution was a hot topic in the UK, as was US Independence. Not everyone was a fan, however. Edmund Burke, an Irish politician and writer, wrote his Reflections on the Revolution in France, condemning the movement, and Wollstonecraft simply wasn’t having it. She fired back with A Vindication on the Rights of Men, a text which rejects classism and hereditary wealth and, for all intents and purposes, encourages republicanism. At the time of its publication, the book passed through the hands of all the speakers, thinkers and writers of the day and became a hit. However, only in its second edition did Wollstonecraft’s name appear on the cover. And, the idea of a woman writing so scandalous a text put a spanner in the works for all those holding up her writing as a call to arms for liberty and equality among men.

So, how was Wollstonecraft to react to all the controversy? She wrote a follow-up called A Vindication on the Rights of Woman where she pushed her message of equality even further to not only include men of all backgrounds but women as well, a point certainly not ignored in her former writing but taking centre stage in this one. It’s also this book that she has become most revered for. The book celebrated professional women and insists on the importance of equal education between men and women.

At the time, Wollstonecraft’s book was mostly well-received, there were a few critics but she had earned the respect of her contemporaries and the book became a key text for women aspiring to see change in their future. As I say, this book came decades before the first Women’s Suffrage movement but it wouldn’t be surprising if it had something to do with it. 

Back to Wollstonecraft herself though as, despite her success in writing, her life was actually quite tragic and, as you can see from the start of this post, she sadly died quite young. Wollstonecraft wasn’t just unconventional in her political beliefs, she also lived a rather scandalous life for her time. She had left English shores for Paris whilst in her early thirties, began a relationship with an American called Gilbert Imlay and became pregnant with his daughter. Imlay, however, had moved on from Wollstonecraft and showed no interest in their child, a daughter called Fanny. Wollstonecraft was heartbroken by the rejection and even ventured to Scandinavia to work on business for Imlay in an attempt to win him back. She published a travel book about the experience of travelling to Sweden, Norway and Denmark off the back of his trip. 

Wollstonecraft returned to London after her travels expecting to be warmly received by Imlay but this was not the case. In her despair, she attempted suicide. After a time, she found herself back in the same circle of friends and thinkers she was in before she’d journeyed to France and this time she found love and solace in a Gothic author by the name of William Godwin. Godwin was a huge fan of the Wollstonecraft’s travel book and they fell in love. They married in 1797 and a few months later, Wollstonecraft gave birth to her and Godwin’s only child, a daughter, also called Mary. Due to complications in childbirth, Wollstonecraft died aged 38, leaving both her daughters in the care of William Godwin. The second of those daughters would also be a name to make history as arguably the creator of science fiction and inventor of one of pop culture’s most recognisable figures, this being Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. 

Credit to the National Portrait Gallery for the Mary Wollstonecraft portrait (painted by John Opie)