This was a photo of my mothers taken at the South Seas International Exhibition held in Dunedin, NZ in 1926. It was only open for one year. My mother is in front and then two cousins and at the end, her sister! I thought it was a hoot!
I'm still transcribing her 1929 Diary and have got up to over 90000 words. She arrived in London about October 1929 and stayed for 10 weeks and went everywhere. I have to struggle with some names of painters and their paintings (Tate Gallery) and other famous people and events. She writes:
"About five pm, left for Wigmore Hall and arrived just in time to hear the famous Suggia. She has certainly a strange face, Italian yet very underrated. I imagine, she’s a wonderful player but both of us wished she had more variety in her programme. 3 Concertos by Brahms were a little too heavy,. Luiz Costa played her accompaniments brilliantly. Suggia actually puts her soul into her playing and she is graceful with a good personality from a musical point of view I think. At the end she was presented with some gorgeous red flower bouquets to match her black sleeveless frock. She returned again and again with her accompanist to bow"
I didn't know the name but found she was a famous cellist. She was born in 1885.
O I love old photos. I've been trying to gather my family's all together and create a sort of family tree on the wall. Thank you for sharing this and the story. Your mother was very beautiful. And apparently very well educated.
My first thought was that I wished I could ask my mother whether she remembered Suggia. But then I realised she was only born in 1926 :) Which hits home just how adventurous your mother was!
Aww this is just fabulous......Your mother sure had some amazing adventures, And i just love the way she writes, You are very lucky to have her wonderful diary Maggie! : )
