This Woman Was Picasso, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald's Muse

The wealth and candid charisma of Sara Murphy meant she inspired and was admired by many an artist in 1920s Paris—this included legendary painters and writers alike.

#SaraMurphy #QueensOfCulture #SmithsonianChannel

[khanmaida]

Fitzgerald literally lifted entire lines from his wife Zelda's writing to supplement his own. It's sad she didnt get much or any credit until much later after her death.

[cassif]

Beautiful women are EVERYWHERE. If appearance alone would have been what inspired these geniuses then they would've picked dozens of other women.

[lorrygeewhizzbang]

She has quite the mischievous look in her eyes looking back over her shoulder...I'd say she was fun to be around considering people didn't just bring costumes to the beach back then.

[betweenthepoles]

There is a lot more to a person than physical appearance. Yes, Sara had wavy, sometimes frizzy hair. In those times straightening irons and hairdryers didn't exist. Actuality, they didn't exist for most of human history. To people in times past a hairstyle like Sara's was natural. The anorexic look didn't come into vogue until the 1960s. Women like Sara with a little meat on their bones were considered attractive. It's hard to tell from a grainy film how a person might have appeared in person. But more than her looks it was her sparkling personality, sense of fun and intelligence that attracted people to her. Individuals are many-faceted and all of these facets, when joined together, make each person unique and beautiful.\

[luvsail]

I heard about Vaill’s book “Everybody was so Young” in the late 90s and bought it immediately. It remains one of my favorite books to this day and began my lifelong fascination with Gerald and Sara Murphy.

[trroram]

someone who was able to live quite comfortably and able to throw money around for friends a muse? you dont say?

[ErenMortel]

I've never seen Picasso shirtless before this is a weird and tremendous moment

[Inara]

So nobody thinks that her attractiveness to artists and writers had anything to do with her wealth????

[霧裡探花水中望月]

is this what rich people do for a living? playing dress up on a beach?

[sylviarippey]

I was fortunate enough to see the Sara & Gerald Murphy art exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. Went back several times because it was so amazing. I pretty much have every book about them and The Lost Generation. ❤

[tthomas]

From everything I've read about Picasso, during the 20's he hung out with rich society types mostly to please his new wife, Olga. He quickly grew tired of both. And judging by the fact there is only one painting I can find said to be 'inspired' by Sarah, and which looks nothing like her, and not a single portrait, I can't see he was ever much enamored of her either.

[brokenanklesarentfun]

Everyone's saying she's ugly but look at Picasso, they're both normal looking people.

[SherryEReson]

To my mind, they acted as patrons, which artists often require.

[dannistor]

"...Picasso starts drawing a series of women who are, recognizably... Sara".
...recognizably, indeed...

[III-uroo]

I’m sure her charm drove artists’ fascination with her tho I think her (husband’s) wallet had a lot to do with that as well

[sueayers]

Actually, short, very curly hair was very popular in the '20s, popularized by Garbo and other silent stars. The reason it got frizzy was because permanents, which came in about that time, contained harsh chemicals that caused hair to frizz. The short bob was popular because it represented women's rights, just as the shorter skirts and no bras did. All this came about after women got the vote in 1920 and was also in reaction to the tight social constraints of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. WWI also helped to usher in women's rights in the 1920s; after all, if you've faced death as an Army nurse or civilian, nobody had the right to tell you how to live your life.

[lordlandbeast]

I never thought anyone would be so proud that their grandmother had an affair with a newly married man
That isnt something to flaunt 🙄

[bunzieb]

I love that cora crawley from downton abbey is the narrator

[stephaniecody]

Arrrrgghhhh... rich people. I love how all those masters of art were completely enchanted by the 1920’s version of the Kardashians. No wonder Che Guevara happened.

[kp]

She was probably a great laugh. 'Interesting' gets you far further than 'blankly pretty'.