Among a recently acquired pile of old photographs bought by my husband at an antique store in Wichita Falls, Texas, just over the Red River from our Oklahoma hometown, were a few photobooth shots, probably dating from around the 1950s when photobooths first appeared on the scene. He posted one of these, enlarged, at Flickr the other day. One of his regular commenters pointed out that the two women in the photo might be none other than Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, in their later years. Goodness me! But why would these two luminaries of the 20th century Paris literary scene be posing in a photo booth? And how did their pic wind up in a wire basket full of old photos in a Texas store?
Compare the mystery photo my husband has with photographs of the two women available online. My husband's photobooth pic, enlarged, is immediately below; photos of Gertrude and Alice from Google Image follow. There is an uncanny resemblance. The fifth photo offers a view of the couple in their younger days.
I was interested to find out more about the pair, who lived together gayly for most of their adult lives. Gertrude Stein was born on 3 February 1874. Alice B. Toklas - she of the recipe for whacky cannabis brownies - born 30 April 1877. Sun Aquarius and Sun Taurus? Sun sign astrologers wouldn't necessarily see that as a marriage made in heaven! In the case of Gertrude and Alice the link is clear - see the dual chart below. Gertrude's data is in the main chart with Alice's in the outer ring.
Alice's natal Mars at 8 Aquarius conjoins Gertrude's Saturn and Venus at 6 and 9 Aquarius, and more widely her Sun and Mercury at 14 Aquarius. Gertrude's North node of the Moon conjoin's Alice's natal Sun at 10 Taurus. Those are the main links I see. Astrodatabank's data gives Gertrude an 8 am birth time: Pisces rising, but no birth time is available for Alice, her rising sign remains a mystery. Alice's North node of the Moon was in Pisces, and quite close to Gertrude's ascending degree in Pisces.
What I discovered about Gertrude, from a quick read around the net, didn't endear her to me one little bit. From views of contemporaries stated HERE it appears she had quite an ego - verging on megalomania! Four personal planets in Aquarius could do that to a gal! Think Sarah Palin and add intellect.
Gertrude's politics veered well rightwards, she had no time for FDR and his New Deal. Her ethics were questionable too. She and Alice lived in occupied France throughout World War 2. A gay Jewish couple, they were just the types Hitler's minions were looking to send to prison camps, and likely death. They lived quite close to the Swiss border and could easily have de-camped for the duration. But Gertrude, it is said, collaborated with the Germans, the couple had protection of a German friend with influence in high places.
We'll never know whether the couple, out walking one day, decided to sample "one of those new fangled photo booths". Maybe they sent one pic from the strip of four to a friend in Texas.... whose estate, years later, included some old photographs.
FOOTNOTE & CREDIT: My husband's pet hobby, apart from listening to jazz and collecting records, is rescuing old photographs. Much of his collection can be seen at his Lost Gallery blog, it's a rather complex set-up so the Index Page is useful. He also posts photos regularly at his Flickr page.
Compare the mystery photo my husband has with photographs of the two women available online. My husband's photobooth pic, enlarged, is immediately below; photos of Gertrude and Alice from Google Image follow. There is an uncanny resemblance. The fifth photo offers a view of the couple in their younger days.
I was interested to find out more about the pair, who lived together gayly for most of their adult lives. Gertrude Stein was born on 3 February 1874. Alice B. Toklas - she of the recipe for whacky cannabis brownies - born 30 April 1877. Sun Aquarius and Sun Taurus? Sun sign astrologers wouldn't necessarily see that as a marriage made in heaven! In the case of Gertrude and Alice the link is clear - see the dual chart below. Gertrude's data is in the main chart with Alice's in the outer ring.
Alice's natal Mars at 8 Aquarius conjoins Gertrude's Saturn and Venus at 6 and 9 Aquarius, and more widely her Sun and Mercury at 14 Aquarius. Gertrude's North node of the Moon conjoin's Alice's natal Sun at 10 Taurus. Those are the main links I see. Astrodatabank's data gives Gertrude an 8 am birth time: Pisces rising, but no birth time is available for Alice, her rising sign remains a mystery. Alice's North node of the Moon was in Pisces, and quite close to Gertrude's ascending degree in Pisces.
What I discovered about Gertrude, from a quick read around the net, didn't endear her to me one little bit. From views of contemporaries stated HERE it appears she had quite an ego - verging on megalomania! Four personal planets in Aquarius could do that to a gal! Think Sarah Palin and add intellect.
Gertrude's politics veered well rightwards, she had no time for FDR and his New Deal. Her ethics were questionable too. She and Alice lived in occupied France throughout World War 2. A gay Jewish couple, they were just the types Hitler's minions were looking to send to prison camps, and likely death. They lived quite close to the Swiss border and could easily have de-camped for the duration. But Gertrude, it is said, collaborated with the Germans, the couple had protection of a German friend with influence in high places.
Stein and Toklas, both of Jewish descent, escaped persecution during World War II, due to both being known as Americans rather than Jews and the protection of Nazi collaborator Bernard Faÿ. Prior to World War II, she made a sarcastic statement in New York Times Magazine (May 6, 1934) that Adolf Hitler should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. "I say that Hitler ought to have the peace prize, because he is removing all the elements of contest and of struggle from Germany. By driving out the Jews and the democratic and Left element, he is driving out everything that conduces to activity. That means peace ... By suppressing Jews ... he was ending struggle in Germany." (See here).Alice appears to have been the practical one of the pair, looking after their daily needs, staying in the background - the wind beneath Gertrude's wings, no doubt.
We'll never know whether the couple, out walking one day, decided to sample "one of those new fangled photo booths". Maybe they sent one pic from the strip of four to a friend in Texas.... whose estate, years later, included some old photographs.
FOOTNOTE & CREDIT: My husband's pet hobby, apart from listening to jazz and collecting records, is rescuing old photographs. Much of his collection can be seen at his Lost Gallery blog, it's a rather complex set-up so the Index Page is useful. He also posts photos regularly at his Flickr page.
