In 1958, an exhibition of Winston Churchill’s paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was widely publicized. Raymond and I were invited to the opening, which was a major event in Manhattan social circles. The English Speaking Union was largely responsible for promoting the work so many guests were from the U.K. It was quite a formal event, with old gowns and furs that hadn’t seen the light of day in years, extricated from moth-ball closets, worn, regardless of the condition.
Many of these Brits had survived serious war events and relocated to the safety of the U.S. sometime either during or after the war ended. I mention this because one of the furs, an ermine cape, was held together in the back with safety pins. Raymond caught the moment. The big attraction, however, was the presence of celebrities, including Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Salvador Dali, and Kenneth Clark, a major English art writer and critic. Mr. Churchill’s landscapes were very beautiful. - Eleanor Jacobs
