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THE BLOOMSBURY BOHEMIANS

Around 1907, Virginia and Vanessa moved to Bloomsbury, in London, where they held informal gatherings of bohemian artists and thinkers. Virginia met Leonard Woolf, who would become her husband and chief supporter for the rest of her life. The group quickly became the “Bloomsbury Group”—a talented group of artists, writers, and philosophers with a strong influence over the London art scene. Virginia and her writing were in the middle of it all.

The Bloomsbury Group of like-minded artists and writers lived in this square in Bloomsbury, London. The area was a hive of creativity for a number of years.

Virginia had unique thoughts on how to construct a novel. She liked the idea of not plotting a story from A to B, but instead following her natural flow of thoughts (a technique known as “stream-of-consciousness”). She also wrote about everyday, domestic happenings rather than great, dramatic events. Her first novels, including The Voyage Out , were more traditional, but the more she wrote, the more she experimented. In the course of her life, Virginia wrote reviews, essays, diaries, letters, and novels and became one of the most influential and respected writers of the era.

A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN

In 1917, Virginia and Leonard started a publishing company, called the Hogarth Press. It soon became a major publisher of modernist works and published over 500 books. In addition to being a writer, Virginia was a social activist and later feminist icon, exploring themes of class, war, women’s rights, and politics in her writing. The 1929 essay A Room of One’s Own contains Virginia’s most famous feminist remark, which became a slogan for later feminists aiming to achieve success in all areas: “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

Virginia’s mental health grew worse over the years, and in 1941 she committed suicide. In spite of such a tragic end, at the age of only 59, the great writer’s works live on larger than life. Her most famous novels, Mrs. Dalloway , To the Lighthouse , Orlando , and Jacob’s Room , remain classics of modern literature. Virginia’s voice was unique and ahead of its time. Her style has influenced generations of writers, as well as artists and film-makers.

COCO CHANELFASHION ICON AND ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL DESIGNERS OF ALL TIME

FULL NAME: Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel

BORN: AUGUST 19, 1883, SAUMUR, FRANCE

DIED: JANUARY 10, 1971, PARIS, FRANCE

NATIONALITY: FRENCH

More than 100 years after Coco Chanel hit the fashion scene, her stylish designs and recognizable logo remain iconic all over the world.

FAREWELL TO THE CORSET

Voted one of the top fashion icons of all time by Time magazine, Coco Chanel was a game-changer in the world of women’s fashion. Before she made an impact with her designs, women squeezed themselves into corsets and super-feminine dresses. Coco was seen as revolutionary—bringing looser, more “masculine” clothes to women. She was one of the first women to wear pants, and the first to design pajamas and lightweight sportswear for women. Coco introduced the now-iconic “little black dress,” and her tweed skirt suits, costume jewelry, and simple yet elegant designs have become staples in the world of women’s apparel.

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, stylishly posed, in 1920

AMAZING ACHIEVEMENTS
	GAME-CHANGER IN WOMEN’S FASHION
	INTRODUCED THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS, PAJAMAS, AND BELL-BOTTOM PANTS
Coco was the very first fashion designer to launch her own perfume.

ENDURING STYLE ICON

Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, Coco had a difficult early life. She was born into poverty in France and was raised in a girls’ home at a convent, where she was taught to sew. As a young woman, she made her way briefly into the entertainment industry as a cabaret singer, where she picked up the nickname of “Coco.” In 1910, she was funded to open her own hat shop, before moving on to women’s clothing and, eventually, perfume—the first fashion designer to do so. She felt that in order for clothes to be luxurious, they ultimately needed to be comfortable. This included her large role in bringing pants into women’s fashion. Coco’s designs were loved by Hollywood royalty, including actresses such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Coco Chanel quickly earned a position at the height of contemporary fashion, and her place as a revered fashion icon holds firm to this day.

With the Great Depression, followed by World War II, even wealthy people’s ability to buy high fashion was in decline. Coco closed the Chanel stores in 1939. However, in 1954, at the age of 70, she made a grand return to the world of clothing—with the introduction of bell-bottom pants. Coco opened her first fashion store over 100 years ago, yet her name continues to be a byword for iconic style. Her designs and philosophy of fashion have greatly influenced generations of designers that followed. Her “CC” logo is now one of the world’s most recognizable trademarks.

Coco’s fashion house remains as popular today as it was during her lifetime. This boutique window, in Milan, Italy, displays some of the 2012 Chanel designs.

MA RAINEYMOTHER OF THE BLUES

FULL NAME: Gertrude Malissa “Ma” Nix Pridgett Rainey

BORN: C. APRIL 26, 1886, COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, U.S.A.

DIED: DECEMBER 22, 1939, ROME, GEORGIA, U.S.A.

NATIONALITY: AMERICAN

MADAM GERTRUDE MA RAINEY

Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett began performing when she was around 13, first through her Baptist church and later on tour. In 1904, Gertrude married William Rainey, and the pair began touring as “Ma” and “Pa” Rainey soon after. By 1905, Ma had heard blues music and began to work it into her performance list. She quickly developed her own “raw” singing style, using her booming voice and unusual phrasing. She became the first popular entertainer to perform the blues on stage and came to be known as the “Mother of the Blues.”

FROM GERTRUDE TO MA

She would go on to perform live music for over 30 years, including during the blues heyday of the 1920s. Her stage presence was captivating. Ma became the first great female blues vocalist and brought blues to a wider audience. After the Raineys separated in 1916, Ma began touring with her own band, Madam Gertrude Ma Rainey and her Georgia Smart Sets.