Anna Karina

"I left home when I was 17...At that age young people can be very brave"

The beautiful Anna Karina became the best known of the French New Wave actresses through her collaborations with husband and director, Jean Luc Godard. She proved to be more than a muse however with her work in film, music and writing.

Hanne Karin Bayer was born in Denmark, 1940. She loved art, singing and dancing, though as a child she struggled with a difficult home life. Eventually she ran away to Paris at the age of seventeen. She started modelling and met Coco Chanel who changed her name to Anna Karina. After staring in a palmolive commercial she was spotted by director Jean Luc Godard. He offered her a film role but as it involved nudity she turned it down. Godard however was very taken with her and eventually cast her in the film Le Petit Soldat. Anna and Godard fell in love and were married in 1961. Professionally their relationship proved fruitful, together they made the films, Une Femme est Une Femme, Pierrot le Fou, Bande à Part, Alphaville and Made in the USA. Personally however Godard was cold and uncaring and following a miscarriage Anna attempted suicide. They divorced in 1967. Despite her personal unhappiness Anna was one of the most popular actresses of the day. She also became a fashion icon. Though her main films of the decade were collaborations with Godard she also stared in La Religieuse and Justine. 
She continues to act and has directed and produced films, she has also written four novels and remains a much loved figure throughout the world, often making appearances to discuss her work and life with Godard.

Whilst Godard's oeuvre was sometimes difficult to understand, Anna's luminosity and fragility made it more accessible to a wider audience. She could be both sensitive and lively, she imbued in her characters a sense of her own spirit. She was dedicated and passionate about her work and throughout her career continued to stretch herself in the roles she took on. She became an icon of the French New Wave and inspired many with her clothing choices, distinctive cats eyes and bangs.

Though she remains best known for being Godard's muse Anna was a talented and creative person in her own right.  She has worked in all areas of the arts including, painting, acting, singing and writing. She worked with some of the most talented people of the 1960s including, Serge Gainsbourg, George Cukor, Roger Vadim, Maurice Ronet and Jacques Rivette. In 1961 she was awarded the Berlin Film Festival's Best Actress award for her work in Une Femme est Une Femme. She also worked in the theatre including the theatrical version of La Religieuse (she would also go onto to star in the film version).

Despite their difficult relationship Anna has always remained loyal to Godard's artistic vision. She remains fascinating both as an actress and as a person. Her body of work presents a classic vision of France during the 1960s, and represents the ever evolving world of French Cinema. Though she found fame as a muse, Anna never let this define her, she was equally as creative as any of the powerful men she worked with. 

"It's about being human. It's beautiful, it's touching, it's acting. It's acting and reality at the same time"

The Girl in the Song-Rosemary Davies

Ray Davies grew up in a house with six sisters, and his younger brother Dave. It was the second eldest sister that inspired the Kinks song, 'Rosy Won't You Please Come Home'.
Ray was very close to his two oldest sisters, who were like second mothers to him. Tragically Renee, the eldest, passed away when she was only thirty-one and Ray was thirteen. In 1964 his second sister, Rosie, emigrated to Australia with her husband, Arthur and their son, Terry. Ray was devastated by this second loss,
"I started screaming. A part of my family had left, possibly forever...I collapsed in a heap on the sandy beach and wept like a pathetic child"
His sisters emigration later inspired the album, Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). Rosie passed away in 2014.

Twiggy

"At sixteen, I was a funny, skinny little thing, all eyelashes and legs. And then suddenly people told me I was gorgeous. I thought they had gone mad" 

The most distinctive face of the Swinging Sixties was a young English Model who became an international icon whilst still a teenager. Lesley Hornby changed her name to Twiggy and the rest, as they say, is history.

Lesley Hornby was born in London, 1949. Her mother taught her to sew at an early age and she often made her own clothes. When she was sixteen Lesley had her hair cut at the famous hairdressers, Leonard of Mayfair. Leonard wanted to model his new short hairstyle and so he had several pictures taken of Lesley. The photos were noticed by a fashion journalist who arranged to meet Lesley and declared her to be the 'face of '66'. Her boyfriend, Justin de Villeneuve, became her manager and changed her named to 'Twiggy'. The newly christened Twiggy was soon modelling for all the major magazines, and quickly became an international icon. Twiggy even created her own fashion label, which was made especially for the teenage market. Although she was at the height of her fame Twiggy felt that modelling was only a transitory profession and in 1970 she retired from the business. In the following years Twiggy worked extensively in film and TV and had a successful singing career. In 1977 she married actor Michael Witney their daughter, Carly, was born the following year. The couple eventually separated and following Michael's death, Twiggy married Leigh Lawson. She currently lives in London with her husband and has her own fashion range, for older women, at department store Marks and Spencer.

Twiggy was one of the most recognisable and influential faces of Swinging London. Her slim androgynous figure, large eyes and short hair became the 'look' of the decade. She favoured miniskirts and shift dresses in bold colourful patterns, and was influenced by the 1920s. Twiggy was also more accessible to a younger audience, than some of the models of the day, and had a strong teenage following. One of her most distinctive features was her eyelashes, the bottom ones she emphasised by painting them onto her face.

Despite her youth Twiggy was always a dedicated professional and was interested in all aspects of her 'brand'. She was actively involved in her fashion label, collaborating with designers and flying around the world to promote it. She was also prepared for a life after fashion and stretched herself by pursuing acting and singing. She didn't want to remain a "clothes horse" for the remainder of her life and pushed herself in areas she found more personally fulfilling.

Though today she is best remembered for being something of a 'pop icon' Twiggy has remained a kind hearted, down to earth woman. Her achievements cross all aspects of the arts and she has had a huge influence on fashion, acting and the definition of beauty. More than anyone she encompassed the fun, youthful, working class feel of Swinging London.

"I used to be a thing; I'm a person now"

The Girl in the Song- Jenny Boyd

One of Donovan's loveliest songs was written for Pattie Boyd's sister, Jenny. Like her sister Jenny was also a model and later went on to marry Mick Fleetwood.

Though they never dated Donovan admitted he had a crush on Jenny, which inspired him to write, 'Jennifer Juniper'. Jenny and Pattie went on to open a small antique store on King's Road named 'Juniper', after the song. As Pattie remembered:

"Jenny and I took a stall in the antiques market in the King's Road, and specialised in art nouveau. We called it Juniper-because of 'Jennifer Juniper- and ran it for about a year. Jenny looked after the stall and I did the buying"

(Donovan & Jenny)

(Pattie & Jenny get a visit from The Beatles in their store 'Juniper')

Have a listen!

Joni Mitchell

“I had in fact, seen quite a bit of the ‘I’ve looked at life from both sides now’. I had some serious battles for a twenty-one-year-old. But I was trying to become a realist in all ways”

The melancholic folk singer was a distinctive voice in the late 1960s. With her beautiful lyrics, long blonde hair, and keen observations Joni Mitchell gained a passionate following, though her personal life was often difficult.

Joni Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson, 1943, in Alberta, Canada. Her early childhood was marred when she contracted polio. Doctors told her she might never walk again but she was determined to prove them wrong, which she did. She developed a love of art, poetry and music and taught herself the ukelele and eventually the guitar. She started singing and began playing in various folk clubs. When she dropped out of university she travelled to Ontario where she continued singing. In 1964 she discovered she was pregnant to her boyfriend, who soon left her. Destitute Joni gave birth to a daughter, Kelly, but had to put her up for adoption. Devastated she turned to song writing as a way to deal with her grief. That same year, 1965, she married fellow singer, Chuck Mitchell. Whilst her work gained in popularity the couple's relationship struggled and they were divorced in 1967. Joni moved to New York and the following year released her debut album, Song to a Seagull. In 1969 she released, Clouds, which featured one of her best loved songs, 'Both Sides Now'. That same year she wrote 'Woodstock' after hearing of her friends experiences at the famed festival. It became one of her most popular songs.
When the 1960s ended Joni released the albums, Ladies of the Canyon and the critically acclaimed, Blue. She continued to develop her musical style and eventually moved from folk to jazz, she became renowned for her lyrics. Following Blue, she released a further fifteen studio albums. She suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 and has been in ill health, though friends say she continues to improve. She stopped touring and recording following her last album but continues to paint.

Joni was one of the most popular female singers of the late sixties. Her beautiful, personal lyrics struck a chord with many as did her distinctive and unusual guitar work, developed when she discovered her fingers had been weakened by polio and she had to create different tunings. She had the ability to create stories with her words as seen in some of her most popular songs, 'Both Sides Now', 'Woodstock', 'Big Yellow Taxi' and 'The Circle Game'. Her distinctive soprano voice is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful and she gained a strong female audience in an industry largely dominated by men. She maintained the rights to her music and designed all her album covers, she often stated that at heart she was a painter and it was a passion she developed throughout her life. The cover of Clouds features her beautiful self portrait.

Joni was a determined woman who suffered many personal tragedies. As an unmarried mother in the sixties she faced many hardships, she did not even tell her family of her child. She supported herself as best she could and ultimately sacrificed her own happiness so that her daughter would be safe. The experience strengthened her resolve to make something of herself, but also highlighted the many injustices faced by women of the era. Happily she was reunited with Kelly later in life.

Joni had a strong creative vision and was dedicated to her ideas. Her lyrics were often confessional in nature and proved relatable for many women. She continued to explore new styles and forged a distinctive voice and place within the music industry, where she showed remarkable courage in the face of hardship.

“I sing my sorrow and I paint my joy”

Linda McCartney

“I had daydreams and fantasies when I was growing up. I always wanted to live in a log cabin at the foot of a mountain. I would ride my horse to town and pick up provisions. Then return to the cabin, with a big open fire, a record player and peace”

The talented photographer made a name for herself in a male dominated industry with her portraits of musicians. She caused a stir when she fell in love with, and married a Beatle, and spent her life devoted to her family and passions.

Linda Eastman was born in New York on the 24th September, 1941. As a child she developed her lifelong passions for animals and music. She studied art at university and married fellow student, Joseph Melville See. Whilst studying in Arizona Linda attended a photography class and became fascinated with the medium. Following her divorce from See, Linda and her young daughter, Heather, moved back to New York where Linda found a job working for 'Town and Country' magazine. Whilst working there she came across an invitation to a Rolling Stones press conference. Linda went along with her camera and was the only photographer allowed to photograph the band. Her pictures of the Stones were in high demand and she began taking on free lance work, photographing both local and international groups. In 1967 she travelled to England to do a series for the book 'Rock and Other Four Letter Words'. By chance she met Beatle Paul McCartney in a nightclub and they were instantly taken with each other. A few days later Linda was invited to take photos at the Sgt. Pepper launch party. She and Paul spent the evening talking together and they began a relationship the following year. They were married in March 1969 and welcomed a baby daughter, Mary, later in the year.
In the early seventies Linda and Paul released the album RAM as a duo and went on to form the band 'Wings'. Linda sang, played the keyboard and synthesiser and co-wrote many of the bands songs. She became a passionate vegetarian and animal rights activist and created her own range of frozen vegetarian meals. Throughout her life Linda continued with her photography and published several books and was featured in numerous exhibitions and galleries. Tragically Linda passed away, from a long battle with breast cancer, in 1998. Following her death Paul released an album of her solo work titled, Wide Prairie.

Linda was one of the most successful photographers, in what was a largely male dominated industry, during the 1960s. She was the first woman to have a photo (of Eric Clapton) published on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Her interest in people's personalities is evident in her work, and many of her subjects commented on how at ease she made them feel, as if she were a friend and not a photographer. She photographed all the major musicians of the day, including, The Beatles, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Doors. Her other favourite subjects were animals, children, nature and, of course, Paul!

Linda was a strong woman who made a life for herself and her child as a single mother. She remained strong when many aimed cruel criticism at her for marrying Paul. She was an American divorcee, and many fans couldn't understand what Paul saw in her. But Linda remained kind hearted and passionate. She didn't pay attention to others opinions of her, she just lived her life. Her relationship with Paul proved to be loving and enduring, they raised four children together and supported each other through everything that came their way. Paul credited Linda with helping him through his nervous breakdown, suffered following the breakup of the Beatles, she supported and encouraged him to start writing again.

Throughout her life Linda remained true to herself. She pursued her interests, photography, music and animals, with her distinctive, passionate vision. She was a loving, caring mother and wife and became a pioneer in her chosen fields. Though she was often dogged by unfair criticism she continued to do what she loved, forging a path for herself in often difficult professions.

“I don’t need a lot of money. Simplicity is the answer for me”