silver creations of my brain

[wavingtovirginia]

Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West and two dogs sitting on a grass bank. Monk’s House (Rodmell, England), 1933.

“I try to invent you for myself, but find I really have only 2 twigs and 3 straws to do it with. I can get the sensation of seeing you—hair, lips, colour, height, even, now and then, the eyes and hands, but I find you going off, to walk in the garden, to play tennis, to dig, to sit smoking and talking, and then I cant invent a thing you say—This proves, what I could write reams about—how little we know anyone, only movements and gestures, nothing connected, continuous, profound. But give me a hint I implore.”

– Virginia Woolf in a letter to Vita Sackville-West

[jolantru]

Fangirl Challenge: female characters [1/10] » Ninotchka from Ninotchka (1939)

“Don’t make an issue of my womanhood”

[silvercreations]

Happy birthday to Lilyan Tashman— divine queen of snark & sass & charm (& my heart)— born on October 23, 1896 & gone from this world far too soon. 💖👑🎞

Image from Photoplay, June 1929, page 64.

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

These October days are to me a little strained and surrounded with silence. What I mean by this last word I don’t quite know, since I have never stopped ‘seeing’ people—No, it’s not physical silence; it’s some inner loneliness—interesting to analyse if one could.

Virginia Woolf, from a diary entry written c. October 1931 (via woolfdaily)

[silvercreations]

And right here is the real Carole, not the languorous lady you've been seeing on the screen. Some day some smart producer is going to wake up and cast Carole in a rousing good picture in which she can be her own gay self; and then—!

Happy Birthday to Carole Lombard— radiant forever-queen of screwball comedy, gone far too soon— born on October 6, 1908. 👑💖

From Screenland, June 1935, page 41.

[twixnmix]

Anna May Wong photographed by Carl Van Vechten on April 20, 1932.

[silvercreations]

🎩💖⚰️

[nino-rota]

Zsa Zsa Gabor in her autobiography:

I did find Greta Garbo very attractive. I first met Garbo at Brian Aherne’s house in Santa Monica when George Sanders and I went to a party there.

The other quests, […] had already arrived when Garbo breezed into the room. She was alone and I almost fainted.

George Sanders, being George, made things worse by informing Greta, “My wife has a wild crush on you.” I blushed scarlet. Dispassionately, Garbo responded, “She’s a very beautiful girl, your wife.” […]

The next time I met Garbo I was alone at a party at Brian’s house on 62nd Street in New York.

At the time, Rex Harrison was appearing on Broadway in My Fair Lady and he was quest of honour. Garbo spent most of the evening standing behind the bar flirting with me. Rex was all over Garbo and Garbo was all over me. I nearly melted.

Then Rex had to leave and Garbo said, “Let’s bring Rex’s coat.” The coat was beige and the pockets were so full of vitamins that we could hardly carry it. We took it to him, Rex left, and Greta asked me if she could drive me home. I said yes, but I was afraid of her.

We got to my hotel (I was living in the Savoy Plaza) and for a moment I felt like inviting Greta in. Then she said, “Darling, would you like to come to my apartment?” I was paralyzed. Then she kissed me straight on the mouth. And I couldn’t help kissing her back because she was so overwhelmingly strong and so beautiful. I’ve never had lesbian tendencies–but if I had ever had them, the woman of my life would definitely have been GRETA GARBO.

–One Lifetime Isn’t Enough

[nino-rota]

Greta Garbo (top, left) at age 17 with friend and unrequited love interest and actress Mimi Pollak (top, center), with whom she maintained a correspondence for the following 60 years.

Garbo to Mimi in 1924:

“The letter from you has aroused a storm of longing within me.”

Garbo to Mimi in 1928:

“I dream of seeing you and discovering whether you still care as much about your old bachelor. I love you, little Mimosa.”

Garbo to Mimi in 1930, regarding Mimi’s pregnancy:

“We cannot help our nature, as God has created it. But I have always thought you and I belonged together.”

Garbo to Mimi in 1930, regarding the birth of Mimi’s son:

“Incredibly proud to be a father.”

[ekphora-deactivated20190614]

For how could one express in words these emotions of the body?

– Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse 

[allgarbo]

Greta Garbo being real gay in her films. 

[silvercreations]

Did you ever see Garbo looking so radiantly lovely as in this portrait taken just before her departure for Sweden? Note that wistfulness in the eyes, as though she sees distantly the mountains and the cold blue lakes of her beloved North. Yes, she is coming back to play the name role of “Christina,” a Swedish queen who relinquished all for love.

Those eyes. ♥

From Photoplay, October 1932, page 41.

[allgarbo]

Happy Birthday, Greta Garbo! (September 18, 1905 - April 15, 1990)

“Her real tragery is that she is a lone wolf. No matter how much she may love a person and try to hold onto that person’s life and be part of it, in the end she has to let go and pursue her own lonely course. People have sometimes said that she has little talent for friendship. Her problem is that her standards of friendship are so high that few people can meet them. In her self-imposed isolation she cannot understand a friend who has a need to go about socially and perhaps partake the innocent frivolities of life. To her, and rightly so, life is a serious matter. She is a Virgo, Virgo are often over critical, high strung and intolerant. They are also very analytical. Greta analyzes everything as if she were holding a magnifying glass up to her life. Her analyses are sometimes wrong, but once I said to her, “No matter how wrong she is, in her error she is more right than people who are right.” She has, what I consider a very striking quality, a deep purity of intention in all she does. I believe her own greatest problem and one that cause her untold unhappiness is an underlying suspicion toward people and life itself. (…) But in this matter of suspicion Greta is again a paradox, as she is on most thing. She will often be suspicious to the last ditch of someone who is really her friend, and give her confidence to sometone who has not got the slightest bit of her interest at heart. Her judgment can often be unstable and unsoud.” (Mercedes de Acosta in Here Lies the Heart)

[silvercreations]

Greta Garbo as Queen Christina is impressively beautiful. And throughout the picture no detail of setting or costume to make the role more dramatically effective has been overlooked. The three lighted tapers, the rich background of wood, the graceful folds of Christina’s gown, lend this portrait elegance and beautiful simplicity.

Happy birthday to Greta Garbo, born on September 18, 1905, in Stockholm, Sweden. My heart forever belongs to you, my queen. 👑💘

From Photoplay, February 1934, page 22.

[woolfdaily]

At this moment she was much inclined to sit on into the night, spinning her light fabric of thoughts until she tired of their futility…

Virginia Woolf, from “The Voyage Out,” (via woolfdaily)

[silvercreations]

Even though Claudette Colbert rushes busily from Paramount to Columbia making pictures, her doting audiences bemoan the necessary lapses between her screen appearances. She's just that popular. Lately Claudette's make-up kit was parked at Columbia where she was filming "She Married Her Boss." And according to enthusiastic reports, you can prepare now to enjoy it as much as you did "It Happened One Night." Melvyn Douglas and that dashing Mike Bartlett are her romantic partners in this gay opus. Out of role, Claudette still keeps the gossips wondering about her romantic interests in life.

Happy birthday to Claudette Colbert, born on this day (September 13) in 1904. Count me among her “doting audiences” & also the “gossips wondering about the romantic interests in her life.” 💘

From Modern Screen, November 1935, page 19.

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

But whom could she lean upon? She asked that question of the wild autumn winds.

Virginia Woolf, from The Complete Works; “Orlando: A Biography,” (via woolfdaily)

[silvercreations]

This love letter from Mercedes de Acosta to Marlene Dietrich is featured in “Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image,” an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. 

Letter transcription*:

558 North Bristol Ave Golden one— You have only been gone a short while and already I miss you so much. Still the disturbing odour of you lingers in my room and makes it difficult for me to pull myself together. I am infinitely touched by the beautiful things you have given me and by your generous thoughts of me— but you must not spend your money on me---- possessions mean little to me. Everything you have given me is beautiful but they are extra beautiful because you give them. One flower from your hand I would love as deeply. Words are stupid and Earth round— I would like to have someday as beautiful as the light of the yellow sun in the sky— as deep as the sea— as trembling as the pale little shiny new moon— to tell you how much— how much— how much I love you. Blessed one with star eyes I love you!

Description from exhibition: 

Love letter from Mercedes de Acosta to Marlene Dietrich, c. 1940s. Marlene Dietrich met the writer Mercedes de Acosta (1898-1968) in 1933, when the latter was on the outs with her lover, Greta Garbo. Dietrich referred to de Acosta as “White Prince.” While Dietrich carried on an affair with de Acosta, she also became lovers with Fred Perry and ended her affair (and collaboration) with Josef von Sternberg. Deutsche Kinemathek – Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin.

The letter and the rest of this wonderful exhibition are on display at the National Portrait Gallery until April 15, 2018.

*Note on Transcription: Transcription is my own, as one is not available elsewhere.  Parts of the letter were difficult to read— so let me know if you see what appears to be an error, & I will update with more accurate information.