Nancy Cunard
Nancy Cunard was an heiress who rejected her family’s values and spent much of her life fighting racism and fascism.
“She became a muse to some of the 20th century’s most distinguished writers and artists, including Wyndham Lewis, Aldous Huxley, Tristan Tzara, Ezra Pound, Henry Crowder, and Louis Aragon, who were among her lovers, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Constantin Brancusi, Langston Hughes, Man Ray, and William Carlos Williams.”
She edited and published “Negro” (1934), an almost 900-page anthology of black history and culture and a call to “condemn racial discrimination and appreciate the . . . accomplishments of a long-suffering people.” In August 1936, she moved to Spain to cover the civil war there. Exasperated by the international community’s failure to intervene, she used her reporting to denounce Franco’s brutality and demand help for his victims.
In the end, Nancy Cunard declined into severe mental illness, exacerbated by heavy drinking. But she was the real thing, by all accounts.
She is the anti-Daphne Guinness, although Daphne may somehow conceive herself to be a renegade on a level with Cunard. And look how Cunard rocks the biker jacket and turban, effortlessly cool without having to stumble around on 10 inch heels!
I’m sure you’re all well aware of Nancy Cunard. Nobody ever tells me anything! Better late than never.
Tags: Daphne Guinness, muses, racism
August 18th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
People like her should be in history books, no kid should should be spared of knowing her name. Thanks for the reminder.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Actually no, I had no idea but then when are women like this give the focus they should have. Such a shame re drink and illness. I need to know more now.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:45 am
Wow, what a dame. I’d never heard of her, thanks Sister Wolf! *feeling a style icon post comin’ on*
August 19th, 2010 at 2:18 am
Here she is on my blog way back in the mists of time (ie. two years ago), absolutely a legend and one of the various weirdos I grew up admiring!
August 19th, 2010 at 2:19 am
That would be the link I forgot to add, because I am not real smart.
http://skylarkandson.blogspot.com/2008/07/armful.html
August 19th, 2010 at 2:42 am
i adore her. what a fascinating life, and she was incredibly beautiful too. she had a “salon” where a lot of the most interesting people of the early 20th century met to discuss ideas.
August 19th, 2010 at 3:52 am
I didnt hear about her…But she seems great, i´m going to do a research… The Civil War in Spain was terrible, I cant belive she came here by herself just to help, these people who came from all different countries to fight against Franco were so brave and generous. Unfortunately it wasnt enough and Franco won the war :S
August 19th, 2010 at 4:24 am
Neither was I. Thanks for sharing, this woman’s story needs to be told.
August 19th, 2010 at 4:31 am
I didn’t know about her either – my first thought after I started reading was “she’s anti-Daphne”! And she indeed rocks the look.
August 19th, 2010 at 5:32 am
Thanks for posting this Sister. I had not heard of her. Now I want to know everything about her. great photo. now that’s fashion.
August 19th, 2010 at 5:44 am
I bet she and Virginia Woolf would have been good friends.
August 19th, 2010 at 6:14 am
I too had no idea! She’s a total badass (and her outfit is the hot shit). Commencing research.
August 19th, 2010 at 6:14 am
I didn’t know about her either, why? Love her already, must find a biography and find out everything about her, thank you so much for posting about her!
On a completely different note I thought you might be interested in this:
http://www.leonardo.info/isast/articles/duprat/duprat.html
insects that MAKE jewellery!
August 19th, 2010 at 6:21 am
She was actually part of my dissertation and was also famous for the miles of African bangles that she would pile on . . .
August 19th, 2010 at 6:43 am
I had heard her name but knew nothing about her – this was a very interesting and very cool post. Thank you.
August 19th, 2010 at 7:51 am
She wasn’t in my “Women’s History” class. The book started with mythological female figures (great start for the history of women. Women who never existed. It actually started with Lilith). But that was over 25 years ago.
I love all the bracelets w/the motorcycle jacket and turban; way ahead of her time. Thanks for the post!
August 19th, 2010 at 7:54 am
What a fantastic gal.
Have you read the Lois Gordon biography, Nancy Cunard: Heiress, Muse, Political Activist?
August 19th, 2010 at 8:01 am
I was only vaguely aware of her. What an amazing woman.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:22 am
A large biography on Cunard came out a few years ago and got her mentioned on NPR, how I came into the know. You can read it all on Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=DxaARkEWM4kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=nancy+cunard&hl=en&ei=OFptTPStJIm5ngfE4IybCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
August 19th, 2010 at 9:14 am
Love her!
Oh Sister… totally unrelated but I thought you’d get a kick!
So, you know Sea’s mom has been doing a lot of cooking posts. Well, one of her recipes actually looked like something I’d like to try. The Spaghetti w/ broccoli, walnuts & ricotta. I love walnuts on my steak and it looked light, simple and summery so, I gave it a shot.
http://atlantishome.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/08/spaghetti-with-broccoli-walnuts-and-ricotta.html
It was THE worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth (next to my ex-husband). Seriously, I am not being dramatic. I guess her taste buds are destroyed because I followed the recipe exactly (except I didn’t use that grainy whole wheat pasta and I added some grilled chicken on the side because well, I need meat) and it was so bland and boring and awful. I couldn’t finish my dinner (except for my chicken) and was so sad I had wasted the time and money.
The boyfriend hated it and even my fat cat who’ll eat anything wouldn’t touch it.
What a waste.
Hope you’re doing well!
xoxo
August 19th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Thanks for the article – what a cool woman! I had no idea, now I’ll do my research.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:33 am
No one ever told me about her. She sounds amazing. I hope I can find a book about her. Thanks, Sis.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:34 am
There ARE!!!
http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/DoSearch?databaseID=965&index=W&terms=Nancy Cunard
August 19th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Thank you for the information. Her style is indeed awesome. I am particularly admiring of that stack of bracelets she has going there. I love hearing about women who buck the system. Keep it coming.
August 19th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Hmmn! Another upper-crust Brit who became a “useful idiot”. To be that wrong that long about almost everything it can hardly be a surpise that she was a loony and a drunk. Orwell had her measure and in response to her silly questionnaire on Franco he replied:
“Will you please stop sending me this bloody rubbish. This is the second or third time I have had it. I am not one of your fashionable pansies like Auden or Spender, I was six months in Spain, most of the time fighting, I have a bullet hole in me at present and I am not going to write blah about defending democracy or gallant little anybody…”
He, of course, was a middle-class Brit who began life stuffed full of youthful nonsense but had sufficient intellectual rigor to grow up and see the monster that lurks behind the socialist mask.
August 19th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Skye – I need to go back and read your archives to see what else you’ve been withholding from me!
Miss Cavendish – You too! Tell me everything.
August 19th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Lara – “It was THE worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth (next to my ex-husband)” =One of the greatest lines ever written. I need to create an award for this!
Mrs. Aldridge owes you an apolopgy AND a free shopping trip to Tokyo.
August 19th, 2010 at 11:02 am
David – You’re SO CUTE when you’re mad. I read that Orwell quote and I admit I love it. However, it doesn’t detract from my admiration for this woman. Don’t tell anyone, but Spender was my ex-husband’s second cousin (ex’s mother was a Spender) They aren’t too keen on him, either.
August 19th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Eliza – Wow, thanks!
August 19th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
never heard of her and love the picture.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
First time hearing of her and, of course, it’s on here. Thanks, SW.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
P.S. – Oh, great. Sea of Jane is coming to my city this weekend. I hope I run into her. I’ll pass along everybody’s “regards”.
August 19th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
So glad you posted this – she sounds amazing and I knew nothing about her! THIS is who we should be learning about in school, instead of endless dead white men! Really reminded me of Jessica Mitford’s story – she is also worth looking up for awesome-women-from-history inspiration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Mitford).
August 19th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Miss J had hadn’t heard of her. Better late than never.
August 19th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
The 1930’s has always been my favourite time. Wish I’d been around then – think Myrna Loy & William Powell in “The Thin Man”, the Marx Bros., Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Marlene Dietrich, et al.
Witty writing delivered with such flair.
Affairs with the rich and famous.
The Round Table at the Algonquin.
Literary soirees in Paris and Berlin.
Great clothes, music and architecture.
Classy stuff.
Damned sorry I missed it.
August 19th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
mhdbass – I love Jessica Mitford!
Andra – Same here. Very much.
August 19th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
I don’t share the Daphne hate (can’t, sorry Sister!) but as mhdbass said, her great-aunt Jessica was another anti-Franco lady who went (actually, ran away) to Spain to fight and report, and was amazing in many,many ways. They were a complicated family, though, I’ll always have a soft spot for Mitford descendants even if you don’t- though I might cry a little inside if you tell me you hate Stella Tennant too.
August 20th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Her main claim to fame was her opposition to Franco. Now, I admit that my knowledge of 20th century Spanish history is minimal but I do know the general outcome which was that the old brute shot a lot of communists (so not all bad, then, eh?) and then with great skill kept Spain out of WWII to the huge benefit of his people. I’m not sure of the exact body count of the number of internal victims who fell to his secret police but I am prepared to make a decent wager that had the communists won the civil war the figure would be at least 5x bigger and the country would have sunk into complete poverty. Both Spain (and Portugal under a similar Right-wing junta) came out of their dictatorships and emerged peacefully into democracy.
The woman was a nutcase, im-pure and simple-minded!
August 20th, 2010 at 4:38 am
not well aware. thank you for sharing. she looks about as cool as any one individual can look.
August 20th, 2010 at 10:07 am
See, now that’s style: individualism + activism + leather. Can’t forget the leather.
My friend and I tried (unsuccessfully) to emulate Ms. Cunard in college before realizing we were nowhere near that cool.
August 20th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Gawd…she is so fabulous I can’t stand it!
August 20th, 2010 at 10:51 am
I want to say that the Lost Generation and its wealthy patrons trump Generation Me and its wealthy, publicity-seeking club-hoppers every time, but I guess the GE’s should get a little more time and historical perspective.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
David Duff – Spain DID sink into complete poverty, you should read up a bit more on the Spanish Civil War I think. The country is still torn now, as they continue to find mass graves of ordinary civilians murdered by Franco’s men. Read about the ‘hungry years’, when Franco starved out entire towns and villages. Children would eat grass and weeds out of desparation. I have just returned to the UK to live after living 8 years in Andalucia. People in our village were still divided and afraid to talk out against the local council in fear of retribution and persecution. If Nancy was against Franco and all he stood for – no matter what her ‘class’ was – and had the guts to go to a country where no-one was safe – then more power to her!!!!
August 20th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Hear,see or speak no evil. Karma strikes again and one of the Aldridge’s lips appear to have turned necrotic. Lucky escape Dolly.
August 20th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
She looks awesome.
Isnt it so strange how so many people from those lost generation ex pat circles went crazy?
August 20th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
I actually love that you moderate comments now.
August 20th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Sketch – How come you love it?? I still feel bad about it.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:26 am
good choice for the photo, you didn’t take the most famous portrait of her made by Man Ray. Today, she’s more iconic among hipsters for her bangles addiction than for her fight. But yes, she has this malady of elegance and elegance of malady on her old days: her end was tragic
August 21st, 2010 at 5:07 am
Because I dont want to read that vile crap that those nut cases were spewing. Its not fair to you to take that kind of abuse.
August 21st, 2010 at 8:04 am
sketch42 – I guess you’re right. Hate and abuse aren’t really discourse. Thanks for not being scared away by it, xo
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Sort of wandered around the interwebz and chanced upon your blog. Thanks for this post. I listen to NPR exclusively and that’s how I heard about her… Thank goodness for the Internet… Isn’t it amazing (sadly) that it takes the Internet for people such as Cunard to become better-known than she previously was (before the Internet)? Now we just need somebody to make a movie based on her life story! (Please please please don’t make Jolie play her…)
August 24th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Fighting racism is noble, brave. Bravo, Nancy Cunard. And thank you Sister for bringing her into the forefront. I shall read more about her.
An observation: Frequently, individuals who have greatly influenced history (in any genre) are considered “nut cases” for one reason or another. Few people have the burden of having their lives dissected and studied under the microscope of historians and public opinion. That is the cost of fame; infamy if you will. Ultimately, our human history is written those whose voices, actions, and personas rise above the societal din.
How many of us could have our lives minutely examined and remain unscathed in the nut case category?
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