Decoration

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Sounds like a good idea for a show on the "Home and Garden" channel!

What a fascinating gal this one was, huh? Along with Elsie de Wolfe, Helen Candee was one of the pioneers in the profession of interior design. Though less well-known today than "The Chintz Lady," Helen was a prolific and sought-after expert in the field of home decorating. Her later career as a popular travel writer was also of considerable note. On a more primitive scale, albeit, she's Titanic's own "Martha Stewart."

Here's a list of Helen's books on decorating and travel (and a few other titles):

INTERIOR DESIGN

"Decorative Styles and Periods" (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, Co., 1906: reprinted by Willy, 1938)

"The Tapestry Book" (London: Constable & Co., 1912: reprinted by Tudor, 1935)

"Jacobean Furniture and English Styles in Oak and Walnut" (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, Co., 1916)

"Weaves and Draperies, Classic and Modern" (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, Co., 1930)

TRAVEL

"Angkor the Magnificent: The Wonder City of Ancient Cambodia" (London: Witherby, 1924)

"New Journeys in Old Asia: Indo-China, Siam, Java, Bali" (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, Co., 1927)

MISCELLANEOUS

"How Women May Earn a Living" (New York: Macmillan, 1900)

"An Oklahoma Romance" (New York: Century, 1901)

I have "The Tapestry Book" by Candee, a very beautiful book. Depending on the style of binding, some being more elaborate, this book can be very expensive. BookFinder.com and BiblioFind both offer this title at prices ranging from $40- $200+.

Some antiquarian shops like Alibris are also well aware I'm sure of Candee's Titanic connection which drives the price even higher.

I must say, though, that in decorating a lot of designers I know who are knowledgeable of Helen, don't have an inkling she was on Titanic. A decorator friend of mine has most of her design books and had no idea till I told her that she was a survivor."My, God," she laughed, "Who WASN'T on the Titanic?"

Randy

 

[Tracy Smith]

From what I understand, she was more independent than most women of her era and would have fitted into our time with little or no trouble.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Tracy,

I agree about Helen Candee and she is characteristic of many of the women on Titanic, which shows the Victorian idea of the "little woman," while still prevalent, was on its way out.

Randy

 

[Tracy Smith]

I would add Molly Brown to that list, as well as Lucile Duff Gordon. I'm sure there are more, but these are the two who come most readily to mind.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Edith Rosenbaum (later Russell), Rene Harris, and Dorothy Gibson are others that come to mind, even more so since they were younger and probably even more fiercely independent. But some of the older ladies were pretty independent, too - like Ella White and Marie Young. And, though some might say Ida Straus was a clinging little wifey type, I think she had a lot of courage and independence of spirit to do what she did.

Randy

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

The lovely Mrs. Candee that all the men wanted to "protect" seems to have needed no protection from the gallant old geezers! I once named a pet rabbit Mrs. Candee- the cat got her! Fascinating about her career- had no idea- Now wasn't Elsie de W. also Lady Mendies? I know Wallis Simpson was a galpal- and the Vanderbuilt twins. I am redecorating just now (salmon ,coral and sage sitting room- the librbary is done in mocha and cream of mushroom with copper fleur de lis- I could use Mrs. Candee just now!)

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

The lovely Mrs. Candee that all the men wanted to "protect" seems to have needed no protection from the gallant old geezers! I once named a pet rabbit Mrs. Candee- the cat got her! Fascinating about her career- had no idea- Now wasn't Elsie de W. also Lady Mendies? I know Wallis Simpson was a galpal- and the Vanderbuilt twins. I am redecorating just now (salmon ,coral and sage sitting room- the library is done in mocha and cream of mushroom with copper fleur de lis- I could use Mrs. Candee just now!)

 

[Tracy Smith]

Randy, you are right about Ida Straus. She showed that women, too, could be heroic. No one could fool her into thinking that Isidor would be able to follow in another lifeboat. She was strong enough to make her own decisions and she followed her husband's heroic example by giving up her seat in a lifeboat.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Tracy,

So true re: Ida.

Shell,

Elsie de Wolfe married Sir Charles Mendl of the British Embassy in Paris and was shamelessly proud of being Lady Mendl. I always thought of her husband as a sort of non-entity but from a recent book, "Ladies and Not So Gentlewomen" by Alfred Allan Lewis, it would appear, dumpy, dull old Charlie was a spy!

Randy

PS) Just had an email from a friend who knows more than I on decorating history to say that Helen wasn't actually a full-fledged decorator in the modern sense but was a consultant and critic. He says she lent a hand in some sort of refurbishment to the White House during the Taft administration. I bet Elsie was jealous of that!

 

[Jim Kalafus]

Glad to see that someone mentioned Mrs. White. Her Senate testimony was certainly the most intelligent (not to mention angriest) given by any of the woman (and most of the men) who spoke, and I have always found it rather irritating that she is often used (like in the film ANTR) as an example of the hysterical "pushy" First Class women, rather than as the one woman who most clearly articulated what was wrong with the whole affair.

One remarkable "Progressive" woman not yet mentioned was Second Class passenger (and fatality) Annie Funk. Her work in women's education (in India) is truly admirable (and the school she founded still functioning) and the circumstances of her death (if the Geller account is true) heroic. Irene Corbett and Claire Karnes also come to mind.

As a persona aside, that is what I found so grating about Titanic (1997)- there were SO many remarkable women on board in all three classes from which to draw a character, and Cameron created this whiny Patty Hearst-esque creature who paled in comparison to any of them. PLUS, if she found her future to be a prison, it would have been amusing to introduce her to Rosa Abbott or Margaret Rice so that all three could exchange "horror" stories. I would have loved for Rose to have seen what awaited her, with no job skills and no money in the "real" world of third-class 1912 living.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>dull old Charlie was a spy!<<

Somehow, a revelation like this isn't much of a surprise, and I'm certain that the man would have considered that to be high praise! The very best spies are the ones you wouldn't notice if they were the only one in the room.

Also the longest lived. Spies who attract attention rarely have to worry about their pensions. Facing a firing squad is a bit of a distraction.

Cordially,
Michael H. Standart

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Michael,

Well said! I do believe Charlie would have been much impressed that it's taken all these years since his death for the real nature of his work to be uncovered.

Jim,

I think you are right re: Mrs. White. She does tend to stick in one's mind as the lady with the chickens - or even more commonly as the one waving the electric cane and generally confusing everybody in boat 8 - but her testimony at the Inquiry has always also struck me as being from the heart and well expressed - and I think her anger was well justified. I see her as heroic among the witnesses for having said what she felt so eloquently and unapologetically.

Randy

 

[Daniel Rosenshine]

Wasn't "The Tapestry Book" the one that Candee was researching in early 1912, and thus her trip to Europe, which was interrupted by news of her son's "airplane" accident which resulted in Helen booking passage in a hurry, and it so happened that Titanic was the next ship ...

Daniel.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Daniel,

Yes, that makes sense. I believe she may also have been arranging details with a London publisher for an earlier release date because some of the British editions are dated 1912 while the US editions (and the reviews I've found) are dated 1913.

Randy

 

[Carole Lindsay]

Daniel:

What happened to Helen's son? Did he survive the plane accident?

Carole