A Swiss Connection

This week:  Religious fanaticism and an unintended result; how to clean a chinchilla, very high society; John Wayne muscles in.

A not-terribly effective ad from The Watchmakers of Switzerland that reminds us that  "A jeweler is a girl's best friend. . . Only he can show you a fine watch in which quality and style go hand in had.  A watch with classic elegance . . . timeless beauty . . . a fetish for accuracy . . . So make sure the man in your life knows what time it is.  Send him to his favorite jeweler . . . Start hinting today . . . it's worth every minute of it!"

I have two vintage Swiss watches - both Swatch, both damaged, but I can't bring myself to shed them.  Yet I would never buy another.  Those days are far behind me.  

The Swiss Federation of Watch Manufacturers is still going strong; in fact they were recently in the news.    Have you ever wondered - why Swiss watches?  Religion fanaticism.  Calvinism forbid the wearing of jewelry.  Jewelers and goldsmiths turned to watchmaking, et voila!   

Chinchilla - "The Precious Fur for the Precious Few."  Joseph Bernham, who had his own fur salon in the early 1950s, and Mr. Leon (?) get the credit here.   Oh, Empress chinchilla, not just any chinchilla.  What is this precious woman doing?  Is she stepping into a little boat in a Japanese tea garden? There seems to be a koi kite to the right of the Naval officer.  Why is she dressed like this?  Bit much for the time and place.

Here is a chinchilla demonstrating how to clean a chinchilla coat still on a chinchilla.  A helpful hint for Woman of the Precious Few when times get tough!

Sobering to think how many chinchillas went into that coat.  Still - chinchilla coats are very nice.  

Ah - I have missed this blog.   I was going to fly over the next many pages.  I mean, look at this.  It would be a sign of insanity to look all this up.  Just one category, and then we'll move on.

  Which school would be right for my imaginary daughter?  These are the two schools abroad.

First, from a now-defunct website  of Old Girl memories:

I was at La Chatelainie summer 1960 to 1962. Mostly in Saint Blaise, a few months in Gstaad. Was the first external student the last year,as my parents moved to Neuchatel for awhile.That was the year Mr. Jobin committed suicide. We were all in shock! Nice to find this site!

  

Bingo.   Why I Do This.  Brilliant mash-up of Sandra Dee, Bonjour Tristesse and Nabokov.  Poor Dr. Jobin!

I don't think La Chat is quite the right environment.   Imaginary daughter - Imogen? - Imogen Oliphant?  Perfect.  Imogen would be very fortunate to land at Le Fleuron in 1959.  She'd be starting school with Charlotte Ford, daughter of Henry Ford II.  (Somehow, the entire September 17, 1959 of the Grosse Pointe News got bundled in that link.  Miss Ford's announcement appears on page 13, under Society News, naturally.  Interesting to browse the ads.)  I hope the Countess G. de Germiny can provide a bit more parental support than the suicidal Dr. A. Jobin.  Who was she?  Hard to tell - here is a related Countess de Germiny:  

"The Countess Amadee de Germiny, who is so well known to many of those who have lived in the American colony in Paris, recently fell down the highly waxed staircase in the chateau  of her cousin,  the Marquis de Seyve, at Saint Germain, and fractured her leg.  The Countess of Germiny is somewhat aged, and her injuries are reported as very serious.  Her son, Count Charles de Germiny, was a great favorite in American and French society, and he led one of the cotillions given by Mrs. Whitelaw Reid at the Embassy in Paris, dancing with Mrs. Ogden Mills."   New York Times, 1901.

If I had the time, I'd link these ladies to our earlier society ladies.  I bet I could.  Onward.  Googling the aged Countess's son, Charles, we find a present-day Charles de Germiny, who will be happy to answer your questions about Swiss banking.  He has Masters from the Bay Area's Golden Gate University - rather a democratic choice of education.   

Here's the "Handsome Ancient Mansion," the Villa Torre di Gattaia, still a school, but not that one.

An amazing haul for two small ads.  

Now, let's go to the movies!

*  Cavalry officer from humble background, a surgeon, a captured plantation owner and her slave sneak deep into Mississippi and raid some Confederate ammunition.  Supposedly based on a true story.  Not as bad as the trailer would suggest, but not great, either.  

*  John Ford directed.  The cavalry troop itself is by far the best part of the movie.  Hundreds of horses melt into the forest and thread their way through a bayou.   

*  John Wayne almost good when not being John Wayne.  William Holden o.k.  The two women characters utterly inexplicable.  Constance Towers awful as the feisty Rebel who dutifully falls in love with her captor;  Althea Gibson - first black female tennis star in her only movie - not a bad actress, but motivation of her character in fighting the Yankees hard to fathom.