I know that it is possible that sometime I will tire of admiring pictures and descriptions of Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, but…life is so very short. The marquess took the British tradition of aristocratic eccentricity down a dark alley and gave it the zhooshing of a lifetime, his extravagant tastes and extraordinary performances setting standards for camp profligacy which have rarely been matched since.
My interest in Lord Gaga, always on stand by, was recently reactivated by this post which includes some magnificent details about the sale of much of the marquess’s belongings in 1904, which I urge you to read. While his legatees may be justifiably miffed that Paget squandered the family fortune on – among other things – the world’s largest collection of walking sticks, I was only upset that he chose to sell his pets (how could he?).
And might the writer mentioned in the post be researching (*breathe into paper bag*) a book about Paget?
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There is an amazing cabaret/ play at the Edinburgh Festival (hopefully touring soon ) about Paget, called How To Win Against History. V funny and beautiful. Read my review at http://www.list.co.uk P.S. I agree. The man was a legend! 🙂
Thanks for your comment and link. I mentioned the show earlier in the month here.