Marietta’s Butterfly

I feel a little guilty about not blogging over the last couple of weeks. The week before Christmas was very busy for me, I taught 5 classes, and was helping out at the store, and trying to make sure everything was ready for Christmas.

A few days ago, Lisa Peters and I were chatting on Facebook, as we often do, for some reason we got onto the subject of vintage clothes. A couple of days later, I received a package from Lisa. I couldn’t work out what it was. We hadn’t arranged to send Christmas gifts, and I wasn’t involved in any swaps with Lisa. I felt excited, yet guilty that I hadn’t sent her anything. I saved the package for Christmas morning, and opened it along with Christmas gifts from my family.

Inside was this gorgeous black swing coat, an enameled filigree butterfly brooch, and a few of Lisa’s gorgeous ceramic links and cabs. Thank you for thinking of me, Lisa! The coat and brooch had belonged to Marietta Maiori-Giovanelli, Lisa’s beautiful Great-Grandmother, who had been an actress in New York. Marietta can be seen in these two photographs, she is the Queen in the photograph of the Columbus Day parade.

Jeremy took these photos in the garden of our Apartment block, I’m not showing the coat to its best advantage, as I thought I would fall flat on my face if I wore it with heels in the snow. The coat is in beautiful condition, and I want to keep it that way, so I want to find a padded coat hanger, or make one, to protect it. After the events of a couple of weeks ago when my wallet was stolen, this beautiful gift and kind gesture completely bowled me over. The photographs of Marietta appear with the kind permission of Lisa Peters.