The New, Modern Woman - a photo on Flickriver

Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.

Today Lettice is sitting in her drawing room reading a book over a cup of tea from her Royal Doulton tea set when Edith, her maid, interrupts her mid paragraph.

“Excuse me, Miss.”

“Yes, what is it Edith.”

“Beg pardon, Miss, but there’s a man at the front door.”

“Well what’s his name? Show him in Edith!”

“I don’t know if I ought to, Miss.”

“Well, why ever not, Edith?”

“Well, he looks a little rough, if you don’t mind me saying. He’s a delivery man you see, Miss.”

“At the front door, Edith, and not the tradesman’s entrance?”

“Yes Miss.”

“Well that’s most irregular Edith,” Lettice ponders. “What does he want?”

“That’s just the thing, Miss. He says you are expecting him.”

“I am?”

“Yes Miss.”

Lettice snorts derisively. “I may do many unorthodox things Edith, but I’m not in the habit of arranging assignations at my flat with tradespeople. Where is he from?”

“The Portland Gallery in Soho, Miss.”

“The Portland Gallery? Oh!” gasps Lettice, throwing her book aside and straightening her skirt so it sits neatly just over her knee. “Yes! Yes! Show him in at once!”

Moments later an unnerved Edith shows a rather burley fellow in a workman’s cap clutching a small wooden crate and a crowbar under his arm into the drawing room where he stands awkwardly before her mistress, somewhat dumbstruck by his elegant surroundings.

“You must be Mr. Chilver’s man.”

“Yes mum! Said ‘e ‘ad a package for you, mum.”

“Yes! Yes! If you would be good enough to put it down here,” she indicates with a sweeping gesture to the black japanned coffee table. “And would you be a brick and open it with that rather nasty looking implement. I assume that’s what it’s for?”

“Yes mum.”

“Excellent. Oh Edith,”

“Yes Miss?”

“Could you take a couple of sixpences out of the housekeeping money to tip our man here. I’ll repay it later.”

“Yes Miss,” Edith replies bemused as she wanders off through the green baize door between the dining room and the kitchen.

After paying the man and showing him out the way he came, through the front door, the rather disgruntled Edith returns to the drawing room to find the top of the wooden crate on the floor. It reveals a magnificent bronze statue of a reclining modish woman sitting amid a swath of white tissue paper.

“Isn’t she divine, Edith!” Lettice enthuses with hands clasped in delight.

Edith’s nose crumples up in distaste. In her mind she thinks that with her short skirt above her knee, plunging neckline and coquettish pose, that the statue looks racy: indecent almost. However, she knows better than to say so to her mistress, who will only accuse her of being a prude. So, she replies politely, “I really couldn’t say, Miss.”

As if reading her mind, Lettice replies, “Oh you are such a prude Edith! You know nothing of art! This… this is the embodiment of the New Woman in bronze! She is someone you should aspire to! I think she will be the topic of many a conversation if we sit her on the dining room sideboard! Yes!”

This year the FFF+ Group have decided to have a monthly challenge called “Freestyle On The Fifth”. A different theme chosen by a member of the group each month, and the image is to be posted on the 5th of the month.

This month the theme, “make me smile” was chosen by David (DaveSPN).

There are lots of things that make me smile, so I have decided to combine different things that make me smile into my photos.

This upper-class domestic scene is made up entirely of 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures, some of which come from my own childhood. Creating a miniature world that looks so realistic brings me so much pleasure and makes me smile so much, as does researching and creating the world that my fictional characters live in. I spend hours pouring over books on inter-war life in London and pulling on my own family history and stories.

These tableaux also make me smile because I get great joy from collecting and curating antiques and curios, including my large 1:12 miniatures collection, which contain some genuine antiques and many one-of-a-kind artisan pieces.

I also smile because I think of other’s enjoyment of my photos. I sincerely hope that I have brought a moment of joy to you and a smile to your face.

This photo is dedicated to my Flickr friend Kim (BKHagar *Kim*) as the statue reminds me very much of Miss Phryne Fisher, whom Kim loves from the ABC/Every Cloud television series starring Essie Davis, and also because Kim asked specifically to see a little bit more of Lettice\'s flat. I hope I make her smile.

Fun things to look for in this tableaux include:

The beautiful 1:12 New Woman Art Deco statue that Lettice has received is a hand painted 1:12 artisan pewter miniature from Warwick Miniatures in Clonkeeffy, County Cavan, Ireland. She is named “Christianne”, and she also comes in a more risqué form as a nude.

Lettice’s tea set is a beautiful artisan set featuring a rather avant-garde Art Deco Royal Doulton design from the Edwardian era. The glass bowl with green accents is another 1:12 miniature artistan piece. Blown from real glass, it is made my Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering, England

Lettice’s drawing room is furnished with beautiful J.B.M. miniatures. The Art Deco tub chairs are of black japanned wood and have removable cushions, just like their life sized examples. To the right of the fireplace is a Chippendale cabinet which has been hand decorated with chinoiserie designs. It also features very ornate metalwork hinges and locks.

The Chinese folding screen in the background I bought at an antiques and junk market when I was about ten. I was with my grandparents and a friend of the family and their three children, who were around my age. They all bought toys to bring home and play with, and I bought a Chinese folding screen to add to my miniatures collection in my curio cabinet at home! It shows you what a unique child I was.

In front of the screen on a pedestal table stands a miniature cloisonné vase from the early Twentieth Century which I also bought when I was a child. It came from a curios shop. Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, and inlays of cut gemstones, glass and other materials were also used during older periods. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French) to the metal object by soldering or affixing silver or gold wires or thin strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colours. Cloisonné enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln. The Japanese produced large quantities from the mid Nineteenth Century, of very high technical quality cloisonné. In Japan cloisonné enamels are known as shippō-yaki (七宝焼). Early centres of cloisonné were Nagoya during the Owari Domain. Companies of renown were the Ando Cloisonné Company. Later centres of renown were Edo and Kyoto. In Kyoto Namikawa became one of the leading companies of Japanese cloisonné.

The fireplace is a 1:12 miniature resin Art Deco fireplace which is flanked by brass accessories including an ash brush with real bristles.

On the left hand side of the mantle is an Art Deco metal clock hand painted with wonderful detail by British miniature artisan Victoria Fasken.

In the middle of the mantle is a miniature artisan hand painted Art Deco statue on a “marble” plinth. Also made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, it is a 1:12 copy of the “Theban Dancer” sculpture created by Claire-Jeanne-Roberte Colinet in 1925.

The vase of yellow roses and oriental lilies is an amazing 1:12 miniature made by the Falcon Company, who specialise in high quality, realistic 1:12 miniatures, and they are well known for their floral arrangements.

The carpet beneath the furniture is a copy of a popular 1920s style Chinese silk rug, and the geometric Art Deco wallpaper is beautiful hand impressed paper given to me by a friend, which inspired the whole “Cavendish Mews – Lettice Chetwynd” series.

Taken on: August 29, 2020

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/2.8, 1/30 sec, 6.2mm, ISO 250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length:	6.2mm
ISO:	250
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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