Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900-1939

618 Pages·2004·4.58 MB·English

by  Virginia Nicholson

PENGUIN BOOKS
AMONG THE BOHEMIANS
‘Racy, vivacious, warm-hearted. Offers an illuminating and well-
researched portrait of life among the artists, a century ago’ The Times
Literary Supplement
‘Cheerful, amusing, entertaining, engagingly illustrated’ Country Life
‘A crackingly good account, packed with anecdotes, but through them
runs a rich seam of research. Richly illuminating’ Literary Review
‘Fascinating’ Metro
‘My new favourite book… screamingly funny’ Sunday Telegraph
‘I enjoyed Virginia Nicholson’s Among the Bohemians – a survey of
English counter-culture from 1900–1939’ Alain de Botton, Books of
the Year, Independent ‘Offers all the pleasures of an old scrapbook… filled with
colourful
images and anecdotes’ Scotsman
‘Nicholson has a magpie’s eye for the glittering anecdote’ Dubliner
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Virginia Nicholson was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After studying at
Cambridge University she lived in France and italy and then worked as a
documentary researcher for BBC Television. Her first book, charleston-A
Bloomsbury House and Garden(Written in collaboration with her
father,Question Bell), was an account of the sussex home of her grandfather, the
painter Vanessa Bell. She is married, has three children, and lives in Sussex
AMONG THE BOHEMIANS
Experiments in Living
1900–1939
VIRGINIA NICHOLSON
PENGUIN BOOKS
PENGUIN BOOKS
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First published by Viking 2002
Published in Penguin Books 2003
10
Copyright © Virginia Nicholson, 2002
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author has been asserted The acknowledgements on pages
333–5 constitute an extension of this page Except in the United States of
America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of
trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the
publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in
which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition
being imposed on the subsequent purchaser ISBN: 9780141933405
For Bill
Contents
List of Illustrations
Line Drawing Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Paying the Price
Why is poverty so romantic? – Why do artists despise money? – How does
one survive while producing something that no one will buy? – What does an
artist do who runs out of money? – Does being rich disqualify one from
Bohemia? – If being Bohemian means being poor, is the gain worth the pain?
2. All for Love
What is wrong with talking about sex? – What is wrong with sex outside
marriage? – Why shouldn’t self-expression extend to the bedroom? – Is
homosexuality wrong? – Must relationships be confined to members of the
same sex, class and colour? – Is marriage a meaningful institution? – Is
there such a thing as free love?
3. Children of Light
What is it like to be brought up in Bohemia? – Should children be kept clean
and tidy? – Should children be given rules and punishments? – How do you
bring up a creative child? – Should children be educated, and if so, how?
4. Dwelling with Beauty
How can one recognise a Bohemian interior? – Does one really need
furniture? – How can one live beautifully and cheaply? – Is innovation in
design compatible with authentic living? – Do things have to match? – What
is the point of wallpaper? – Must furniture be new? – Is comfort more
important than appeaance? – Is living the simple life the answer to poverty?
5. Glorious Apparel
What do one’s clothes tell people about one’s beliefs? – Does one have to
wear what other people wear? – Must one wear sober colours? – evening
dress? –corsets? – Which is more important, comfort or appearance? – Must
women wear skirts? – Must men be clean-shaven? – Is jewellery wrong for
men? –- Do clothes have to be expensive to be beautiful?
6. Feast and Famine
Must one eat English food? – Are table manners important? – Must one eat
meat? – What are the alternatives if one can’t cook? – Are creativity and
cookery compatible? – Where do Bohemians dine out? – Is it possible to eat
on an artist’s income? – Why must women prepare meals?
7. New Brooms
Must women give all their time to housework? – How can one cope with
housework without modern machinery? – Is an experimental lifestyle
compatible with having servants? – What are the advantages of remaining
dirty? – Must one have baths? – Can one admit to the existence of
lavatories? – Must creativity be sacrificed for the sake of cleanliness and
order? – Does domesticity have any value for the artist?
8. The Open Road
Is it necessary to stay in one place? – What is the purpose of travel? – Is it
preferable for English people to live in England, or is France better? – How
does one differentiate the true traveller from the tourist? – What does one
need to pack? – Is it necessary to have a roof over one’s head? – Is the love
of speed a symptom of creativity?
9. Evenings of Friendliness
What do Bohemians want out of life? – ha party an occasion for the
observation of the rules of society? – How can one entertain with no money?
– Must guests know each other, or their hosts? – What kind of behaviour is
acceptable at parties? – How have pubs and clubs changed their status? – Is
it necessary to stay sober? – Is it all worth it in the end?
Epilogue
Appendix A: Monetary Equivalents
Appendix B: Dramatis Personae
Notes on Sources
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index
List of Illustrations
Section 1
Augustus John, Norfolk, 1909 (photograph National Portrait Gallery, London;
copyright reserved)
Café scene from H. Murger, Scènes de la Vie de Bohème, 1845 (British Library,
London, Tab. 501.a.6)
‘An Unfinished Masterpiece’ by Philip Bume-Jones, c. 1900 (Rochdale Art
Gallery, Lancashire/Bridgeman Art Library)
Robert Graves in his kitchen, photograph by Douglas Glass (© J. C. C. Glass,
photograph National Portrait Gallery, London)
Kathleen Hale and her boyfriend, possibly Frank Potter, on holiday in Italy, 1926
(Courtesy of Peregrine McClean)
Rosalind Thornycroft and her children in Italy, 1920s (Courtesy of Chloë Green)
Quentin and Julian Bell, Asheham, c. 1914 (Tate Gallery Archive, London)
John Hope-Johnstone, portrait by Augustus John, c. 1911 (Glynn Vivian Art
Gallery, Swansea/© courtesy of the artist’s estate/Bridgeman Art Library)
Bedales pupils wheeling barrows (Courtesy of Bedales School)
Romilly John, bronze by Jacob Epstein, 1907 (© estate of Jacob Epstein/Tate
Gallery, London/photograph Conway Library, Courtauld Institute of Art,
London)
By the Avon, 1930. Poppet John, Jean – a friend, Nicolette Macnamara, Vivien
John and Caitlin Macnamara (Courtesy of Prosper Devas)
Vaslav Nijinsky dancing in Le Dieu Bleu, 1912 (AKG, London)