Friday 8 May 2009

_The Original









_A 1975 documentary captured the eccentric lives of Edith Bouvier Beale, known as Big Edie, and her daughter, Little Edie, in Grey Gardens, the filthy, dilapidated mansion they occupied in East Hampton.

Two years after Big Edie died in 1977, Little Edie sold the house to Sally Quinn and Benjamin C. Bradlee, who undertook a massive renovation. These photographs, which had never been seen by the public until the begining of this year, were taken by a photographer hired by Ms. Quinn at the time she and her husband purchased the house, in order to capture the extent of the decay, for example, when they moved into the house they discovered the corpses of 52 dead cats, and the bones of many unknown wild animals, all scattered over the 3 floors, 10 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms and various other bathrooms, studies and libraries/music rooms.

What an incredible story, and space.
oh, and what a name.

1 comment:

Kristy Marysia Noble said...

yay you found out about it, know anywhere that its being played?