We were talking to Mary Midgley about her schooldays this evening, and she said that in the Thirties, when she was at achool at Downe House, many of the girls kept on their bedside tables photographs which showed their sisters or even their mothers being presented at court. What would the contemporary equivalent be? I dont mean ‘what would be the pictures that girls in Downe House today keep on their bedside tables?’. I know, because I have seen dorms there (don’t ask). But what would be the equivalent badge of belonging to the ruling class?
PS, for the biologically inclined. Yes, the school is named after Darwin’s home, and was started there; but it moved to Berkshire after the first world war.
A photograph of yourself taken alongside Nicky Clarke in his Mayfair hairdressing salon would probably do the trick. Either him or Frederick, a rising star in Michaeljohn on Albermarle Street.
MH
They may well have taken their name from Darwin’s home, but they changed the spelling. The great man lived in Down (no ‘e’) House in the village of Downe, Kent. The house was originally named after the village, but the village later added an ‘e’ to avoid confusion with other places named Down.
You can see photos of Darwin’s house on my Friends of Charles Darwin website.