A rare photo of Berber at her most beautiful.

“She wore heavy dancer’s make-up, which on the black-and-white photos and films of the time came across as jet black lipstick painted across the heart-shaped part of her skinny lips, and charcoaled eyes.”

“Her performances broke boundaries with their androgyny and total nudity, but it was her public appearances that really challenged taboos. Berber’s overt drug addiction and bisexuality were matters of public chatter. She could often be seen in Berlin’s hotel lobbies, nightclubs and casinos; she would walk around naked except for a sable fur, carrying a pet monkey and a silver brooch full of cocaine, while flaunting her lesbian lovers—removing the barrier between performance and normal life. In addition to her addiction to cocaine, opium and morphine, one of Berber’s favourites was chloroform and ether mixed in a bowl. This would be stirred with a white rose, the petals of which she would then eat.”

One dances hunger and hysteria, fear and greed, panic and horror…Anita Berber—her face frozen into a garish mask under the frightening locks of the scarlet coiffure—dances the coitus.

— Klaus Mann

Anarchists of Style: Anita Berber, Part 2

 
Sebastian Droste (occasional husband and dance partner of Anita Berber), in 1923.

Her hair was cut fashionably into a short bob and was frequently bright red, as in 1925 when the German painter Otto Dix painted a portrait of her, titled “The Dancer Anita Berber”. Her dancer friend and sometime lover Sebastian Droste, who performed in the film Algol (1920), was skinny and had black hair with gelled up curls much like sideburns. Neither of them wore much more than lowslung loincloths and Anita occasionally a corsage worn well below her small breasts.

“By 1928, at age 29, diagnosed with tuberculosis and her body shot by years of drug use, her last days were spent in the hospital. “She had the mask of a mad old hag” recalled friend Leo Lania. She died on November 10, 1928 and was buried in a pauper’s grave.”

Berlin – Metropolis of Vice

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless inspired make-up

Directed by: Annie Sperling – Created & Written by: Michelle Carr

Want to know more about the life of Anita Berber? Read Mel Gordon’s book – The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber: Weimar Berlin’s Priestess of Debauchery

Goddess of the night – a fantastic article on Berber from Strange Flowers

• Taking the dog on long walks in the August heat to get zucchini tacos at El Chilito.
• Listening to John Waters read his new book “Role Models” on my iPod everywhere: on the bus, on long walks, and passing endless hours at the DMV. In this, Waters recounts nearly everything, from his friendship with Leslie Van Houten and her life in jail to the brand and color of the pencil that he uses to draw on his signature pencil thin moustache. In honor of John Waters, I created a sundae this week called “Pink Flamingo,” which includes two tiny toy flamingos, pink sprinkles, and a Fingerstache temporary tattoo. So far only girls under 8 years of age have ordered it, which I think is kind of funny.
• I hope I’m like Vivienne Westwood when I grow up. Tangerine hair included.
• This is important: You must know about the Harlem James Gang! Snappy dressers, magic acts, catchy songs, and THE most handsome men I’ve ever seen! I hope they plan to come to Texas sometime in the future… but for now I’ll be jealous of all y’all who get to Huff with them.
• Speaking of other male performers that I’m smitten by, I hope everyone was cheering for Prince Poppycock’s performance on America’s Got Talent yesterday.
• In other reincarnation/timetravel news, I recently found out (via Darla Teagarden’s facebook feed) that my MOST favorite song from when I was a kid was not originally by Trout Fishing in America, as I had previously thought, but written in the 1930s and sung by a British radio and variety entertainers, Sovell and Wheldon. Warning! It’s a tongue-twister song that will be stuck in your head for days. Proceed with glee:

“Proper Cup Of Coffee” sung by Scovell & Wheldon 1934

Favorite filmstill I snapped this week: Marlene Dietrich, 1935 with teacup and upside-down heart kiss curls.

Prince Poppycock’s Striptease at Dances of Vice – be sure to watch until the end! Yow!

1. Alfred Cheney Johnson, Woman with Face Obscured by Fan 2. Dia De Los Muertos 3. Alfred Cheney Johnson Woman with White Mask
4. Prince Poppycock 5. Prince Poppycock 6. Roxanne Carter
7. Heart Lips 8. Glitter Lips 9. Cupid’s Bow Lips

For my 28th birthday, we attended a showing of The Thin Man at the Alamo and then went out for fancy cocktails at East Side Show room. Meghan from Sugar Tooth Bakery made me Red Velvet Cupcakes and they were divine!

This is Tony, my birthday twin. I am 3 hours older than he is! We always try and run into each other on our birthdays.

Last week I watched Prix de Beauté (1930) with Louise Brooks. This film was planned as a silent, and Brook’s voice was dubbed by a French actress. I suppose one could refer to it as a “Creaky Talkie.” Brooks plays a secretary in a paper, her boyfriend is a typesetter. They fulfill the typical Parisian fare: eating in cafes, bathing on beaches, and beat up on their nerdy friend/sidekick.
Along with being a story about a beauty contest, this film examines Brooks as a trapped bird guarded by an angry boyfriend.
One motif that occurs over and over is that his hat shields her face from the camera.
He is possessive. We can tell by the way he greedily grabs her face. He also won’t let her sing in public.
Here, he grabs her face again.

Of course, Louise won the prize of Miss France and went on to gagne Miss Europe. Her boyfriend was so angry!

This film had a lot of kisses, so stay tuned for pt 2 next week!

Returning the gaze.

I think he is wearing a dressing robe, from the silky collar and the funny print. Also, this is Joan Crawford (I can tell by the eyebrow).

Red Headed Woman (1932). I love this movie because she kisses so many people!

Red Headed Woman (1932)

From Battle of the Sexes (1928) This was a VERY very lusty scene.

I put a second coat on my manicure – I love it! I’ve worked two really intense days at the Toy Store and it hasn’t chipped at all. I’m sold. Tonight  I am going to see “Night Nurse” at the Alamo. I’ve seen it before on the PreCode DVD collection but never on the big screen!

This is my Mary Pickford face.

I love these stockings. I feel like a crazy cartoon spider when I wear them, because they elongate my (already) long legs. These 1940s shoes are quite cartoonish, as well. They are a size 10AAA, which means loooong and skinny, just perfect for my Ozarkian feet. This isn’t quite mentioned in polite society, but most girls birthed at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains are often born with large flippery feet so that they might become gifted in creek hoppin,’ peach tree climbin,’ and other activities that involve truncatin’ the g.
Oh, and they also remind me of this LOVELY photo of a Storyville Prostitute.

Since I obviously cannot get out of this 1930s chorus girl niche that I’ve grooved myself into, here are some more inspirational screen shots of the gals doing what they do:

Top Left: Screen cap of Dancing Lady (1933) with Joan Crawford in the center. My second favorite element of 1930s chorus girl movies is stopping the frame and photographing the rehearsal tap dancing outfits because they are so varied and interesting. Sometimes it’s a blouse and shorts, sometimes a onesie, sometimes a very short dress.
Bottom Left: Of course, in the final performance, the ladies all wear identical outfits. I like this little tuxedo suit number, it’s quite charming. This photo is from It’ll Take the Snap Out of Your Garters!, one of THE best vintage resources on the planet and run by one of my most favorite sassy ladies, Amy. Please pay her a visit if you’ve never seen her blog. You will be overwhelmed (in a good way).

Sob Sister
10 inches x 10 inches
hand embroidery on vintage pillow ticking, pastel

Tea’s Too Hot
8 inches x 10 inches
hand embroidery on vintage pillow ticking

My flapper afro is slowly coming back…
This is how I fluff it up… by running my hands in small circles until it puffs up.

Flapper/Afro Inspirations:

Allene Ray

Probably one of my most favorite photos, ever.

A very coquette photo of Alla Nazimova
Madge Bellamy
From some ukulele sheet music I have, called “Brown Eyes, Why Are You Blue?”

Joyce Compton in 1925