Via/ Library of Congressĭespite what many people assumed about her, Lee was a very private person with a penchant for reading. There are also quite a few Victorian-inspired elements of design as well, from the floral wallpaper to the fringed curtains to an elaborately-carved hall tree. One of her bathrooms was said to have a mink toilet seat cover! Opulent decor filled every corner of Lee’s home, often with a rococo theme that exuded feminine charm and wealth. Via/ Library of Congress Via/ Library of Congressįinding refuge in the splendor of her home, she pulled out all the stops for her decor. Today this stately (but compact) home is worth millions. Sterner, at the request of Vanderbilt heiress, Barbara Rutherford Hatch. The building was designed by architect, Frederick J. Looking through these photos of her home in 1943, more than a year before the birth of her only son, it’s clear that Lee took great pride in her Upper East Side townhouse and all its contents. It’s hard to imagine what a complicated relationship she had with her mother – who pushed her into the world of burlesque before she was even 18. Although, even in her success her own mother attempted to blackmail her for money. To have that finally be rewarded with prosperity must have been a comfort of sorts. Her childhood had been a harsh one, wherein choices were taken away from her. She died just a few years later in 1970, but her legacy lives on thanks in large part to the success of the musical, Gypsy, about her life growing up with a mentally unstable, overbearing stage mother. Her career evolved over time and by the 1960s she was the host of her own popular talk show, The Gypsy Rose Lee Show. By the time World War II unfolded, she had gone on to make several films and had written a successful murder mystery which was made into a film with Barbara Stanwyck, Lady of Burlesque. It was said that it took her a solid 15 minutes to remove on single glove, showing that she stretched out her performances and left the audience wanting more. While some have referred to her act as immoral, the truth is that her burlesque shows were quite modest by today’s standards. Gypsy Rose Lee was one of the most in-demand stage performers of her time. Given her famously harsh upbringing, one which she and sister, film actress June Havoc, both resented immensely, it’s no wonder then that Gypsy Rose Lee luxuriated in her financial gains and decked out her New York home with all the finery she could afford. From their days struggling together as a sister act in vaudeville shows, to their plentiful careers as adults, June and Rose both made names for themselves in show business.
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