When Leighton’s Kensington mansion (now a very lovely museum) was being restored, a separate entrance was discovered, for use solely by the models. The fact that they both knew George Bernard Shaw, and that Leighton paid for all her elocution lessons, prompted this story. Supposedly the two of them were the inspiration for Pygmalion (and thus for My Fair Lady), him being an upper-class London gentleman and she being a poor girl with acting ambitions. Muse – and lover? – of Frederic Lord Leighton. Dorothy Dene.ĭorothy Dene (stage name of Ada Alice Pullan). So yes, high time to put The Model in the spotlight here.įrederic Lord Leighton, Flaming June, 1895. They should be ashamed of themselves and remember they’d be pretty damn lost without the input of those boys and girls. Unfortunately it isn’t only outsiders who look down their noses at models, some painters and photographers do it too. An experienced model knows about light, about focal points, about lenses, what his or her best angles and poses are. They are expected to understand everything: the instructions of the photographer, the stylist, the editor – of everyone shouting at them during the shoot. Artists’ models who, often stark naked in a freezing studio, stand for hours in weird contortions – photographic models who, also in the cold, have to look summery happy in a teeny bikini, ogled by the local village idiots. I often hear people speak about models in a slightly condescending manner: just pretty faces, bimbos that don’t need to do anything but strike a pose. There’s much more to tell about Sarra, but I really hope you can come and meet her if you are in Amsterdam this summer! By all means get in touch: we’d love to hear from you. If you were outside after hours you’d face quite severe punishment.

God forbid you’d meet a Jew without knowing it! The ghetto had three entrances – bridges – that were guarded by soldiers and only opened between sunrise and sunset. The title, by the way, refers to the fact that for the women of the Ghetto it was mandatory to wear a yellow veil – the men had to wear yellow hats. So now Sarra graces the walls and her voice fills the room. And of course I had Nyncke to read them – she did so beautifully. We had crept under each others’ skin, anyway – I figured I might as well. Reading up on Sarra, picturing her life, designing and sewing her clothes, I became so curious about her letters, that I decided to write them. (Which apparently was not an uncommon thing then.) and after they stopped communicating, a few months before his death, he had his letters published. Now here’s the thing: he copied all of his letters to her before sending them, but he lost – threw away? – her letters to him. They told each other off, but they also exchanged poetry and wrote songs for each other like turtledoves.

All that time he tried to convert her to Christianity, she steadfastly refused to give up her Jewish faith. I concentrated on the fascinating correspondence Sarra had with Ansaldo Cebà, a Genovese monk thirty years her senior, that lasted four-and-a-half years and became decidedly steamy. Unfortunately he is no longer with us, but I want to thank him posthumously – I couldn’t have done it without his book. My research led me to an amazing, very comprehensive book about Sarra by professor Don Harran. Wonderful Dutch actress Nyncke Beekhuyzen volunteered to be my Sarra, thinking along with me, coming up with invaluable ideas, giving me lots of her time in between rehearsals, performances, filming, and her young family.

While I was there, other stories drew my attention I got caught in the devastating flood (check out this post) – then there was a small issue with a pandemic, but now it is done! Sarra’s on the walls! I immediately knew she would be the subject of a photo series.īut it took time.

Three years ago, while preparing a month-long stay in Venice, I came across the story of Sarra Coppia Sulam, the poetess, musician, salonnière who lived in the Venetian Ghetto during the early 17th century. You can read more about Sarra here, but let me give you some background information about the project and how it came about:

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