Elizabeth Arden's most unlikely love - an obese lesbian who gave her the one thing no one else could

A painstakingly researched caller curriculum vitae of beauty fable Elizabeth Arden has revealed an bonzer - and seldom mentioned - friendly relationship she had pinch a female truthful morbidly overweight, she had to locomotion pinch crutches.

Theatrical supplier Elisabeth ‘Bessie’ Marbury was wide acknowledged to bask nan institution of different women - and had lived pinch her lover, interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe, for much than 30 years.

Marbury was nan polar other of Arden. While nan beauty magnate had dedicated her career to wellness and beauty, her namesake was undeniably fat, and much willing successful governmental activism than beingness appearance.

However, nan brace bonded complete business, and their narration - whether aliases not it was ever beingness - was 1 of communal adoration.

‘Marbury was an exceptionally successful female successful nan man’s world of commerce,’ writes Stacy A Cordery successful Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind nan Global Beauty Empire.

‘She took risks to create caller pathways of doing business that treated nan artists much fairly. She purposefully hired women, and she rested her decisions connected acold calculations moreover arsenic she weighted relationships supra all.

‘It’s nary wonderment that she saw Elizabeth Arden arsenic a kindred spirit… In nary time, she became nan astir important personification successful Arden’s life.’

Marbury and de Wolfe had already drifted isolated by nan clip Arden met her - de Wolfe surviving chiefly successful France, while Marbury bought a location astatine 13 Sutton Place successful Manhattan, and ‘transformed what had been a disreputable location overlooking nan East River into a gentrified basking spot for nan broadminded.

‘At Sutton Place,’ writes Cordery, ‘Bessie Marbury, truthful morbidly overweight she walked pinch crutches, “had go nan societal lioness of New York.”

‘Instead of gathering to meet intelligence and creator swells aliases nan city’s scions and socialites she’d invited, “they came to spot Bessie holding tribunal successful a capacious ancient chair group beside nan fireplace successful her library, smoking endless cigarettes, issuing edicts making aliases breaking reputations … and enjoying each infinitesimal of it,’” she adds, quoting to a Vogue article from nan clip period.

One friend wrote that she ‘wore her hairsbreadth tossed carelessly connected nan top, and appeared successful nondescript achromatic dresses. But truthful pertinent and pungent was her wit that group crowded to beryllium pinch her.’

Marbury was 25 years older than Arden, but nan brace were intelligibly inseparable and, by 1930, ‘their relationship was truthful evident arsenic to beryllium mentioned successful nan press.’

The narration amazed friends who knew Bessie well. She was known to beryllium impatient pinch ‘credulous’ women utilizing creams and potions alternatively of increasing aged gracefully.

‘Nevertheless, nan 2 admired each other’s different business expertise,’ writes Cordery. ‘While women person ever been progressive successful commerce, location were very, very fewer female CEOs balanced to Arden’

But while some powerful women were portion of this elite group of independent businesswomen, Marbury had thing Arden needed: status.

The beauty maven had agelong craved a person narration pinch her clients. However, while nan Gilded Age was over, definite nine rules lived on, and those circles were closed to her arsenic a tradesperson - albeit an immensely successful one.

‘Elisabeth Marbury was descended from established New England families pinch unimpeachable societal credentials,’ writes Cordery, which made her coagulated 'old money'.

And so, Bessie became Arden’s preamble to precocious society.

‘Arden could ne'er beryllium “old money” for illustration Marbury,’ writes Cordery, ‘but becoming portion of nan postwar smart group was possible,’ acknowledgment to her devoted caller friend.

‘With Marbury’s help, and that of others too, Arden moved connected to nan periphery of precocious nine successful nan postwar years. 

'As Lady Troubridge [a regular successful Marbury's group of intelligence creatives] described, nan innermost circles remained firmly closed: “The aged aristocracy [was] arsenic aloof, arsenic critical, and arsenic oblivious of nan remainder of nan world arsenic they ever were. They meet these ‘[fashionable] people’ often, peculiarly astatine kindness balls and bazaars, and they are exceedingly civil, but location it ends. They ne'er mix… If immoderate outsider tries to get in, they adjacent nan ranks.”’

Marbury moreover influenced Arden politically, starring her to support nan Democratic Party alternatively of her aged confederation to nan Republicans.

‘Always keen to study from nan older woman, Elizabeth understood that what Bessie taught she could study obscurity else. She loved her and was grateful to her,’ writes Cordery.

Around 1925, Marbury bought a lakeside spot successful Maine, and was spending much and much clip there. By now, her erstwhile person was agelong retired of her life, having joined nan diplomat Sir Charles Mendl, himself a cheery man. The brace ne'er lived together, but Elsie was capable to telephone herself 'Lady' arsenic a consequence of nan union.

Arden often visited her friend successful Maine - occasionally bringing her hubby Tom Lewis pinch her.

And erstwhile nan location adjacent doorway came up for sale, Arden snapped it up, lovingly refurbishing it pinch nan thief and proposal of her aged friend and caller neighbor.

She called nan location Maine Chance - ‘she appreciated a bully pun,’ writes Cordery.

‘Arden’s state location brought Elisabeth and Elizabeth closer. Their friends intermingled, wandering crossed nan shared lawns for drinks and socializing. Every imaginable weekend, Arden escaped New York City to rusticate.’

However, Bessie’s wellness was declining, overmuch to nan distress of Arden, and she died, property 76, connected January 22, 1933.

Her friend, nan character Rosamond Pinchot, wrote successful her diary that day: ‘She was truthful alive, afloat of enthusiasm and humor… She was complete 75 and must person weighed 200 pounds anyway.

‘Her look wasn’t a spot bully looking. It was large and fat for illustration nan remainder of her. Her eyes were tiny, almost hidden, and yet erstwhile she said - aliases looked astatine you - you felt her awesome force, her intelligence, her life.’

Her ceremonial was testament to her opinionated successful society. A 20-limousine cortege made its measurement down 5th Avenue to St Patrick’s Cathedral, arsenic 20,000 watched silently from nan sidewalk.

‘Elizabeth Arden could not hide her heartache. She collapsed down successful beforehand of nan unfastened coffin astatine a backstage Sutton Place work for Marbury’s closest friends,’ Cordery writes.

‘Arden said a last goodbye arsenic she placed a roseate connected nan casket conscionable arsenic it was lowered into nan crushed astatine Woodlawn Cemetery. She took what comfortableness she could from nan gem sanction bracelet Bessie near her that spelled retired Elisabeth.’

The bulk of Bessie’s property - including nan Maine spot - went to her aged person de Wolfe Mendl, successful nickname of their galore years together. 

Marbury had expressed hopes that it mightiness beryllium turned into a charitable picnic tract for women workers - to springiness them a agrarian respite from nan city. But de Wolfe Mendl, little inclined to societal activism, was keen to waste quickly and return nan money.

Arden intervened.

‘She was much than happy to push retired nan female whose matrimony of convenience collapsed nan bosom of her friend - truthful she bought Lakeside Farm herself. Better for Arden, who loved Marbury, to clasp nan property… it eliminated nan threat of Mendl capriciously disposing of it,’ writes Cordery.

For a time, nan location became her main focus, landscaping it pinch nan flowers her beloved friend had ever planted, and fundraising for what friends described arsenic ‘a Marbury memorial.’

But she besides had other, much pressing distractions. As she was mourning Marbury, Arden’s hubby Tom - agelong nan taxable of rumors of affairs pinch young demonstrators for nan marque - committed nan eventual crime against his business titan wife.

‘In early 1933, Tom tried to wrest power of nan institution from her,' writes Cordery. 'He ordered “all nan salespeople, buyers, and salons” to “direct each correspondence dealing pinch nan patient to him astatine different address.”

‘That was nan last straw. His effort to return her spot arsenic CEO instantly backfired. Arden learned astir his machinations and countermanded Tom’s directive little than 24 hours later. Before different time ended, she had moved each his belongings retired of their home.’

The book adds: ‘She learned to unrecorded pinch her husband’s adultery, but she would not disregard his takeover attempt. So she sent Tom Lewis packing, first from her life, and past from her company.’

Cordery reflects that Bessie's decease whitethorn person acted arsenic nan impetus she needed to dump nan hubby who had already humiliated her truthful frequently.

‘Such was nan grade of her business occurrence that nan nonaccomplishment of her matrimony seemed little to shingle than to animate her. Confident - moreover imperious - Arden retained nan helm.’

Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind nan Global Beauty Empire by Stacy A Cordery is published by Viking