SERMON -- JUDGEMENT (LETTERS FROM ENGLAND)

    "Madame Tussaud’s is a museum of famous people, or rather of their wax-effigies.  The Royal Family is there (also King Alphonso, somewhat moth-eaten).  Mr. MacDonald’s Ministry, French Presidents, Dickens and Kipling, marshals, Mademoiselle Lenglen, famous murderers of the last century and the souvenirs of Napoleon, such as his socks, belt and hat ; then in a place of dishonor Kaiser Wilhelm and Franz Josef, still looking spruce for his age.   

      Before one particularly effective effigy of a gentlemen in a top-hat I stopped and looked into the catalogue to see who it was ; suddenly the gentlemen with the top-hat moved and walked away ; it was awful.   

 

     After a while two young ladies looked into the catalogue to see whom I represented.

          At Madame Tussaud’s I made a somewhat unpleasant discovery ; either I am quite incapable of reading human faces, or else physiognomies are deceptive.  So for example I was at first sight attracted by a seated gentleman with a goatee beard, No. 12.  In the catalogue I found : “12.  Thomas Nell Cream, hanged in 1892.  Poisoned Matilda Glover with strychnine.  He was also found guilty of murdering three other women.”  Really, his face is very suspicious.  No. 13, Franz Müller, murdered Mr. Briggs in the train.  H’m.  No. 20, a clean-shaven gentlemen, of almost worthy appearance :  Arthur Devereux, hanged 1905, known as the “trunk murderer,” because he hid the corpses of his victims in trunks.  Horrid.  No. 21 – no, this worthy priest cannot be “Mrs. Dyer, the Reading baby murderess.”
  

     I now perceive that I have confused the pages of the catalogue, and I am compelled to correct my impressions : the seated gentleman, No. 12, is merely Bernard Shaw ; No. 13 is Louis Blériot, and No. 20 is simply Gugliemo Marconi.

 
     Never again will I judge people by their faces."


From:  Karel Ĉapek,  "Animals and Famous People" in  "Letters from England," translated by Paul Selver, London, Geoffrey Bles, 1925.

Illustrations:

1. HRH Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, exhibited at Madame Tussauds, London.

2.   Mademoiselle Suzanne Lenglen (1899-1938), La Divine.

3.  Thomas Neill Cream (1850-92), the Lambeth Poisoner.

4.  Madame Tussauds' waxwork of Hawley Harvey Crippen (1862-1910).  Known as the first murderer caught with the aid of Gugliemo Marconi's wireless as a tool.

5.  Waxwork showing  Louis Blériot (1872-1936), the first aviator to cross the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft.

6. Applying the finishing touches to waxwork of Diana Dors, Madame Tussauds, London.

7.  Robert Evans, producer of The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, Love Story and Chinatown.  Is it real or is it Memorex?

Presence Of The Lord -- Eric Clapton's Guitars and Amps Make $2.15 Million at Charity Auction in New York

From ArtDaily.org, 3-10-11

        "Collectors, fans and musicians alike gathered yesterday (9.3.11) at Bonhams New York to celebrate the rock icon, Eric Clapton, whose personal collection of 75 guitars and 55 amps were auctioned off to benefit The Crossroads Centre in Antigua. 

        With 100% of the lots sold, the final auction total more than tripled pre-sale expectations, with proceeds going to the drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton in 1998. Bidders from all four corners of the globe battled throughout the 4 ½ hour auction and included clients from the U.S., Asia, Australasia, UK, Europe, and the Caribbean. Notably, a private Russian Eric Clapton fan and collector showed keen interest in the room and Asian participants included those from Japan, Korea and Hong Kong."

        Jon Baddeley, Worldwide Head of Collectables at Bonhams, "It has been a privilege and an honour working on this exceptional sale and being associated with one of the most iconic living musicians, Eric Clapton. Arguably the greatest guitarist of all time, Eric Clapton inspires an ever-expanding fan base many of whom made the journey to Bonhams in New York over the past few days and joined us for this remarkable auction. We were delighted to play our part in raising funds for The Crossroads Centre, a charity with a noble mission and a cause that remains very close to Eric's heart." 

        Guitar highlights included a 1948 Gibson L-5P, estimated at $20,000-30,000 that sold for a staggering $82,960; and a 2005 Zemaitis S22BP 3S, estimated at $12,000-18,000, which sold for $75,640. The top amp of the sale was a pair of 1997 Fender Twin Amps, estimated at $9,000-12,000, sold for $42,700."

Reader Note:  I love ArtDaily.org and auctions are part of their beat, but minor news indeed. $42,700 for a pair of 1997 Fender amps?  I just don't know "collectables", I guess, or how anyone can use the phrase "most iconic".  Still, when we visited Antigua a number of years ago, I did hear that Eric Clapton's drug treatment facility did outstanding work (Antigua, we found, a propos of basically nothing, like this article, has the best yogurt in the world; you can see the contented Antigua cows all over its scrubby, grassy pasture land), so I suppose this is for a good cause.  It also goes to prove something I've always been told about successful rock musicians -- their favorite instruments tend to be the ones they've most recently acquired.  

Please see below a nice early shot of Eric with Cream.  Please see also a rather ridiculous 2005 shot of the Great Man either sharing a genuinely enjoyable moment (a troubling thought) or a slightly uncomfortable one with HRH Prince Charles, musician/television presenter Jools Holland and comedian/actor/author Stephen Fry.