grey_gardens_blue.qxd 10/1/07 5:28 PM Page 1

Little Edie’s Love of Animals Reveals The Brighter Side Of Life At Grey Gardens

“Big Edie” with Spot

dith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale gained lasting fame through a 1970’s documentary and most recently a EBroadway musical entitled Grey Gardens. The produc- tions depict her eccentric lifestyle and close relationship with her mother Edith “Big Edie” Ewing Bouvier Beale. Both lived together isolated in their decaying 28-room East Hampton mansion known as Grey Gardens for decades. They were born into Bouvier aristocracy and were the first cousin and aunt of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. After their family for- tune dwindled due to the financial crash of 1929, they both permanently resided at Grey Gardens. Little Edie dreamed of becoming a famous dancer while taking care of her mother, and Big Edie fantasized of singing on the big stage while keep- ing her daughter close by her side. Little Edie sold Grey Gardens in 1979 after Big Edie died. But who really was Little Edie and what made her soul waltz? Eva Marie Beale, who is married to Bouvier Beale, (the nephew of Little Edie and the oldest grandson of Big Edie) has the inside family story on the real Little Edie. Eva Marie Beale created a picture book on Grey Gardens, released this fall entitled Edith Bouvier Beale of Grey Gardens: A Life in Pictures, published by Verlhac Editions. When Little Edie died in 2002 she left her scrapbooks, diaries, journals and photographs for her family to enjoy and share her collection of works. Eva Marie Beale says of Little Edie, “The principle focus of my book is to celebrate the life and works of Edith Bouvier Beale as a poet, author, and designer. Our intentions as her family are to genuinely portray Little Edie as the sensitive, loving, and witty woman that we remember her to have been. Although Little and Big Edie

46 I Animal Fair I Design Issue animalfair.com grey_gardens_blue.qxd 10/1/075:28PMPage2

Photographs Courtesy of the Estate of Edith Bouvier Beale. hav sionate “Little and ed simplicity childhood holding ration, nals with lar boar childhood dev eral was fr Thr that nity her E documentar unansw is essentially mentar vie B animalfair die eale om Bouvier that w that oted appearances e , writings oughout notorious dwalk raccoons. affectionate and w but as cr E follo the w e, die E y eated, sketches humans er er the this ar die as and scrapbooks pet also G ed e .com tist, time wing of in r poetr r pictur with thr her emained cr Along ” e y P and publication y questions, , animal The Little w eativ the lo make

cuddling Beale one oems ust inspiring G and E for ent family v of Each should y v the a in of er her natur photographs , es a T They yar r into e E bunnies d that But her ell housing A With fr also M the cats family E A e fr kno die individual sho ’ s n r nd d pet om a ar die om elease Back , arie s liv A them e myster that to bunny , Girl of Lived y e On by the r always when w maintained learn wn emember foster her ser outh ’ beach do and In In they of the Finds a a es, s girl sprinkled cat, living will hands G hear an E life B personal dog photo v animals.” public Rabbit Rabbit windy Edith her die r and countless eale not e of tr v Named ey do dogs, named T while fr the she y arious astonishingly until as in ue she liked both w a o included back it om she since the as his G sensitivity walking named gulls e on they deeper elaborates, nothing have a a grows ’ stor Mother ar you s will albums, an time vividly had compliment and the was. with place- days fascinated dens. wrote many her Land Land “Little a way she critically world pr alot pets. the y aristocrat deep to cats, not Edie used talk o see innately a a of v dog, Edie vide W appr passed. poems of . the along Mother gr arious .” mid Spot , dark - clock H occasions only e Little but that eat appr As fr passion, dogs day er to hope “Little equently y solace eciation S to in some Edie” acclaimed 1950’ oung pot, and r childhood lo the eflected play r eciation only to lo of pictur to walk estor G v her E and e yal, that r die being animal scr ey made the N s. of of E answ and comment age. she e die e ’ ev for M utinizing s peaceful, es G pictur w animals, animals. youth: thr her famous life en y for ar genius in of ers a docu- J could was Little Early r ough jour- hope ersey dens ado egu- pas- dig- sev- has her her the ed to a - - edithbouvierbealeofgr cy clock, S he will liv a ed r emain metaphor her life timeless perhaps fr ee eygar and of schedule, dens.com. confirming tr ue. Design F or without mor Issue that “Little e information Little I Animal ev – Edie” en R enay E die o with Fair wning ’ s S mith Spot visit: lega- I 47 a