Index
Index
- Actresses on Holiday
- A Lady of the Snows
- A Remarkable Gift
- A Stranger in Yorkshire
- A true Ray of sunshine
- All British Shopping Week – 1911
- Autograph Hunters
- Back to Stage
- Beautiful Women By Adrianne Allen
- Bessie Ray
- Birth Certificate
- Blue Plaque
- Bamford Grange: A Lost House in Adswood
- Brandling Village Laundry
- British Players and their Art
- Bubbles
- Census 1891
- Census 1901
- Census 1911 + (Adelaide Armstrong)
- Collecting Old Postcards
- Colouring Competition
- Death Certificate
- Death of George Edwardes
- Derncleugh House
- Divorce
- Dresses in The Orchid
- Dressing Rooms of Actresses
- Earl’s Court Carnival.
- Electoral Register 1910
- Electoral Register 1911
- Electoral Register 1912
- Engagement
- English Rose
- Edwardian Gaiety Girl still has a following
- Family Tree
- Gabrielle Ray – Beauty by Alan Dale
- Gabrielle Ray by Jesse Russell and Ronald Cohn
- Graham Loton – Centennial article
- Grave
- Here, There & Everywhere
- “Hogmanay” Dance.
- How To Be Beautiful
- J. Bannister Howard
- Ladies Kindly Remove Your Hats
- Lady’s Realm
- Little Bradford Mites on a London Stage
- London’s Fours Greatest Beauties
- London Hippodrome Ball
- Lord Roberts’s Veterans’ Relief Fund
- Lost Ring
- Marriage
- Marriage Certificate
- Marriage Register
- Macqueen-Pope on The Orchid
- Marie Studholme – Autograph Hunters
- Memories of the past
- Mother Goose
- Obituaries
- Old Gaiety Friends – 1915
- our daintiest dancer – The Preston Herald – Wednesday 3rd April 1912
- Oval Beauties Rare
- Pamela Loder
- Picture Postcard Craze
- Picture Postcard Monthly – 1983
- Postcards By Millions
- Probate
- Rays of Sunshine
- Remembering Miss Gabrielle Ray
- Roy Sambourne
- Salon of Fragrance and Fair Women
- See Other Side
- Sisters Ray
- Stage and Cromwell
- Stage Beauty and Brains – Alan Dale
- Stage Mermaids – The Royal Magazine – Vol 26 – 1911
- Such a Forgetful Beauty
- The Gaiety Theatre
- The Gaiety Theatre Restaurant
- The Gaiety Theatre, Strand
- The Gaiety Theatre – Emily Soldene
- The Indictment of Mr George Edwardes
- The Little Cinderella
- The Lord Mayor’s Cripples’ Fund
- The Merry Widow Dinner O.P. Club
- The Merry Widow Hat
- The Motor Mouth (Effects on Kissing)
- The Oldest Pantomime Producer (Little Red Riding Hood)
- The Orchid
- The Palladium
- The Pelican – December 1915
- The Postcard Fiend
- The Rejane Matinee
- The Revival of “The Belle”
- The Tango
- Theatre – A Joy For Ever
- The Theatrical Garden Party – 1913
- This Was The “Gaiety”
- Trial by Jury – 1906
- Trip to America – 1923
- Vera Neville
- Villa Borghese
- What the Public Buy
- Where are they now?
- Where are they now?
- Who Will Win This Beauty?
Beatrice Mary Marcella Galway Cook (Sister of Miss Ray)
D’arcy Austin Cook (Brother of Miss Ray)
Edith Mary Ferdinainda Cook (Sister of Miss Ray)
Edward Holden Cook (Brother of Miss Ray)
Gladys Raymond (Gladys Maria Cecil Cook – Sister of Miss Ray)
Jessie Babette Cook (Daughter of Gladys Raymond)
William Austin Cook (Father of Miss Ray)
Annie Maria Elizabeth Holden (Mother of Miss Ray)
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About
One of my main interests is a love of old pictures and postcards that give us a brief glimpse into a past and often forgotten age.
Collecting old postcard and pictures enables the viewer to glimpse a brief moment from that individual’s life; often far removed from their own either by the passage of time or social class. Social History, often described as “history from below” shows everyday people, their social structure and the interaction of different groups; like the wealthy and politicians these people helped shape and maintain society and so shape history.
Examining the images one can’t help but wonder how the individuals lived, were their lives hard compared with today and were they happy. Often the images come with little or no information that can answer these questions, one can only imagine.
With each image saved and seen by others, so that moment, that person is kept alive, our understanding is increased and so our lives are enriched.
A picture is often more descriptive than words can ever be, but how true is this, if a picture enables us to gain entry to another time, another world, will, like the view from a different window, even in the same house provide a different image?
These images allow a glimpse into another time, another era; but what preceded or followed this image? As the individuals were positioned and posed like an artist’s model is what we see truly reflective or like the slightly softened image of an aging beauty a less that truthful representation?
I am reminded of a documentary I watched several years ago regarding the returning troops from the front during the First World War. The camera images show a broken, demoralised sea of humanity, young men who having seen images that most of us hope never to witness had lost that sparkle; that zest which only youth has. But bring on the news camera and that battered returning group came to life, the smiles returned and even though muddied and bloodied their heads and bodies became erect, their arms swung in time and they demonstrated a swagger that spoke of courage, defiance and determination; an image that gave hope to the viewer.
It seems to me that even in the early days of photography all was not what it appeared and now in the advancing digital age a picture may paint a thousand words but will it be factual or fiction?
My interests And collections vary from Maids, Nuns, religious dress and the more risqué images of the French Maid. Often when searching for a particular subject the boundaries cross and as well as true Maids we find Edwardian actresses dressed as Nuns or Maids. During one of my searches I came across Gabrielle Ray dressed as a Maid, “Susan” in Lady Madcap and was instantly captivated by her.
Collecting the individual cards isn’t enough; I like to know more about the individual, which is easier when that person is an actress, although often the information is scarce
Searching for information about Miss Ray I discovered that she was one of the most photographed women of the Edwardian era and described in “Temps” as the most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom; but sadly her success, if measured by being visibly working or in the public eye was short-lived. She struggled with depression and alcohol abuse, and her health declined. In 1936, she suffered a complete mental breakdown and was institutionalized for nearly forty years; dying in 1973 at Holloway Sanatorium at the age of 90.
There are several other sites and blogs dedicated to the memory of Miss Ray and my intention is to share my small but growing collection of pictures and postcards with anyone who shares my interest. Reading about Miss Ray I was saddened that this lady, like many others before and since, after a brief moment in the sun they are soon forgotten. Hopefully as people view and enjoy this blog her memory will remain alive for a little longer.
I have started to write a short Biography about Miss Ray which I will try to update as frequently as possible. The Index page will show any updates under the Biography catagory.
I have also tried to link the various postcards and pictures to the plays in which Miss Ray appeared, however I realise, after several errors that this isn’t an easy task as many are decorative studio poses rather than production images. The individual Rotary, Philco and other publishers numbers are included with any description which should make searching for a particular card or ones from the same set easier. If I have made any glaring errors please feel free to let me know.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy my collection as much as I do.
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summertime75
Gabrielle Ray 
Has a book ever been written about Gabrielle?
thanks
I believe that one is being written but related to individual postcards rather than a biography – I have written more in an email.
I’ve posted new prints (cyanotype prints) of Gabby in a group featuring her on Flickr.
That’s my group, I haven’t added any recently due to the new limit set by Flickr, a nice selection of prints