Image found on Google
Lady Lee Miller-Penrose, in her early days.
Most of the books I buy have already lived a life,
so by the time I buy them they are tattered and worn,
stained and splashed,
often wearing only half a jacket
although
many are totally naked!
so by the time I buy them they are tattered and worn,
stained and splashed,
often wearing only half a jacket
although
many are totally naked!
I sometimes find myself idly pondering about the people who had them before me,
what their kitchens were like,
which, if any, recipes they used
who they entertained
where they lived
etc.
what their kitchens were like,
which, if any, recipes they used
who they entertained
where they lived
etc.
Occasionally there is a name, an inscription, or a label,
but
more often than not, there is no indication at all
as to who owned it previously.
as to who owned it previously.
I was very happy to find this pasted inside one of them.
The name Lee Miller Penrose meant nothing to me at the time
I just thought it was a very attractive bookplate.
This was below it:
My interest was definitely piqued, I had to do some research!
It didn't take long.
What a woman!
She was born in 1907,
was a successful fashion model and fine art photographer
before going on to become
a war correspondent,
documenting the front line,
as well as
the liberation of
Dachau.
documenting the front line,
as well as
the liberation of
Dachau.
She saw some horrific things.
No surprise then
that after the war she suffered from PTSD,
that after the war she suffered from PTSD,
clinical depression,
and
and
alcohol became her refuge...
Until she took up cookery,
not just any old cookery though.
She became a Cordon Bleu cook,
training first in Paris
and
then doing the advanced course in London.
She was married to a surrealist artist, had one child, and lived in East Sussex
in this beautiful of farmhouse.
image found on bestofengland.com
This is where she became a legendary hostess
entertaining
the likes of Picasso and Miro
to gourmet meals.
Cooking was her salvation.
in this beautiful of farmhouse.
This is where she became a legendary hostess
entertaining
the likes of Picasso and Miro
to gourmet meals.
Cooking was her salvation.
It all makes for fascinating reading.
Lady Lee Miller-Penrose had a collection of 2,000 cookery books.
They were her bedtime reading
as well as being used for inspiration and reference.
They were her bedtime reading
as well as being used for inspiration and reference.
I am so chuffed that I have one of them on my shelves.
Admittedly, it is one of the lesser ones, donated as part of her collection,
to WCL,
then eventually sold on.
It is battered and worn - probably from all those years in the library
at Westminster College...
BUT
I prefer to think that she spent many a happy hour browsing these recipes,
concocting menus,
possibly even cooking something from it for Picasso!
A book with a hidden tale.
at Westminster College...
BUT
I prefer to think that she spent many a happy hour browsing these recipes,
concocting menus,
possibly even cooking something from it for Picasso!
A book with a hidden tale.
She sounds an absolutely fascinating character and lived in the most stupendous house . . . I am glad that cookery was her salvation - what she saw in Dachau must have haunted her all her life.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you have a link to her life in that book, and a little bit of history. Fascinating. My cookery books just tend to be country orientated - if it's got "Farmhouse" or "Country" in the title, it's for me!
A beautiful, talented and courageous woman, I definitely need to read more about her.
ReplyDeleteThose two words also hook me in, but so do 'English' and 'Lincolnshire' and far too many others. My collection, if it can be called such, is a real rag tag and bobtail assortment, I love dipping in and out of them as I follow a line of thought.
You can visit Farley Farmhouse, the pretty much unaltered home of Roland Penrose and Lee Miller and if you are lucky their son Anthony (who also wrote his mother’s biography as well as many other interesting books) gives you the most interesting tour. When we visited paintings by Picasso were just hanging on the dining room wall. I had forgotten about Lee’s interest in cooking but now I remember the unchanged post war kitchen, still in use today - and all the books floor to ceiling in almost every room.
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah, That sounds like a fascinating tour, definitely one to add to my list. She was a remarkable woman, I regret that I had never heard of her, until I came across this book. I'll be adding some books about her to my library request forms.
DeleteSuch fascinating tales you find with your sleuthing. Speaking of cooking I just finished reading "Below Stairs - A Kitchen Maid's Memoir" by Margaret Powell. Apparently this memoir was used as background for Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. The author mentions a cook book in there that she referred to as she learned to cook - a Mrs Beeton's cookery book. Ever heard of that one?
ReplyDeleteHello Marcia, I can remember watching 'Upstairs Downstairs', with great enjoyment, many decades ago. Have you seen it?
DeleteMrs Beeton is a household name in this country, almost everyone knows the name, but associate her with extravagant recipes which call for '12 dozen eggs..' although she didn't actually ever write recipes like that! Her books were a marketing success and had sold something like 2 million copies by 1868. Unfortunately she died at the very young age of 28, I believe...and yes, I do have a copy of her book, not quite sure where, but it is in there somewhere!
This gives me shivers... What a wonderful find... What a wonderful connection.
ReplyDeleteShe, this very interesting woman, actually held this book in her hands. And now, you do. I think this is a marvelous thing.
So glad you followed the crumbs, and found all this information, about her.
More typing but, hope you will document all of this, and attached it to this book. :-)
Yet again, your blog makes a lovely first stop, in my mornings. Thank you.
Hello Luna, You do say the nicest things!
DeleteI was so amazed, when I learnt about this woman, and to have a book that links us, no matter how tenuously, is exciting...plus, you know me. I enjoy the process of doing the research.
I will definitely ensure that a note is left prominently in the book - it is such a tatty book that it could have easily been recycled by someone.
I hope your weekend is going well.
How wonderful! I love cookbooks but mostly I love reading about the social history surrounding food and the people associated with it - writers, professional chefs, teachers and those who simply love to cook. I will check out the link you have provided with great interest. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello Margie, That is why these books are so interesting, isn't it! They are often a springboard on to other avenues of exploration and reading. The woman who wrote this book "Countess Morphy" was quite an intriguing person, I must read up on her, too. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteI realized as I read your interesting post that I seem to be more interested in the people who cook than in what they cook. Does that tell you something about me? And, talk about farm house style, I could definitely go with this one!
ReplyDeleteHello Chip, Isn't it a beautiful old house, full of character. In an earlier comment you mentioned Florence White's autobiography - I have managed to track down a very reasonably priced copy, I'm really looking forward to reading about her life. Thank you so much for telling me about it.
Delete