A once formidable patron of modernism, and later peace advocate—now a forgotten Fortean.
Caresse Crosby is no longer remembered well, but there is an abundance of material on her life, including autobiographies and biographies. And so this entry will be relatively brief. Mary Phelps Jacobs—known as Polly—was born to a prominent Boston family on 20 April 1891, and, as her biographer Linda Hamalian notes, never lost her aristocratic edge. She is probably best known now as the inventor of the modern bra. She had a brief marriage, and two children, with Richard Rogers Peabody, scion of another Boston family; he was not interested in domestic life, though, and suffered from alcoholism, made worse by his turn in World War I. While still married, Polly was asked to chaperone another World War I vet, Harry Crosby. The two fell into an affair. Later, Polly divorced Richard and married Harry.
Shortly after their marriage, the new family left for Paris, where they lived an extravagantly debauched lifestyle. Harry was not interested in children, and so they were soon enough shipped off to boarding schools. Meanwhile, Polly adopted a new name—Caresse. Cares and Harry drank a lot, took drugs, engaged in orgies, slept with barely-teenaged girls, and threw outrageous parties. They had multiple affairs. Harry was related to J.P. Morgan—yes, that J.P. Morgan—and his family kept him and Caresse flush with funds. Their home was frequented by a steady stream of ex-patriates.
Caresse Crosby is no longer remembered well, but there is an abundance of material on her life, including autobiographies and biographies. And so this entry will be relatively brief. Mary Phelps Jacobs—known as Polly—was born to a prominent Boston family on 20 April 1891, and, as her biographer Linda Hamalian notes, never lost her aristocratic edge. She is probably best known now as the inventor of the modern bra. She had a brief marriage, and two children, with Richard Rogers Peabody, scion of another Boston family; he was not interested in domestic life, though, and suffered from alcoholism, made worse by his turn in World War I. While still married, Polly was asked to chaperone another World War I vet, Harry Crosby. The two fell into an affair. Later, Polly divorced Richard and married Harry.
Shortly after their marriage, the new family left for Paris, where they lived an extravagantly debauched lifestyle. Harry was not interested in children, and so they were soon enough shipped off to boarding schools. Meanwhile, Polly adopted a new name—Caresse. Cares and Harry drank a lot, took drugs, engaged in orgies, slept with barely-teenaged girls, and threw outrageous parties. They had multiple affairs. Harry was related to J.P. Morgan—yes, that J.P. Morgan—and his family kept him and Caresse flush with funds. Their home was frequented by a steady stream of ex-patriates.