Archives For November 30, 1999
Known as “Charleston’s Grandest Dame,” Gertrude celebrated New Year’s Eve with a lavish costume ball at Medway for over half a century. This post includes photos of party-goers, staff, and menus, as well as Gertie’s annual Christmas card sent to friends and family.
Gertrude’s first husband, Sidney Legendre, was one of six children (Katherine, Hennen, Armant, Edith, Morris, and Sidney) born to James Gilbert Legendre and Cora H. Morris of New Orleans (LA). The Legendre family was rooted in French creole life, Mardi Gras celebrations, and military service, with three of the brothers serving in the World Wars. This post features text in Gertrude’s own words when remembering the brothers, taken from her 1987 biography The Time of My Life.
On Hennen: “Hennen was the eldest and the only one besides Katherine to speak really good French.”
On Armant: “Armant was next—-cited for All-America in football at Princeton, a lovely character with a wonderful sense of humor and full of beans. Everyone called him ‘Cajun’ because of the crazy things he used to do. Once he brought a goat into Henry’s Bar in Venice and was thrown in jail for the night. His quick temper often got him into fights, which the rest of the brothers helped him finish.”
On Morris: “Morris used to introduce himself as Jean Maurice Armant Agricole Legendre. He had a natural confidence about everything except marriage. He was an extrovert, natural leader, and organizer. Nothing bothered him. When we went on safari, Morris organized everything.”
On Sidney: “My Sidney was tall and dark and he parted his thick, curly black hair just to the left of center and plastered it down. In photographs, he stood tall and straight, always rather elegant. He was moody, often brooding or worrying about things, but he also had a wonderful sense of humor and could pull your leg with a perfectly straight face, which would make you think twice before breaking a smile. When he felt like it he could entertain everyone, but when he became bored with the dinner conversation or the weekend guests, he grew sullen and quiet.”
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On their deaths: “All the Legendre men died young. The first to go was Hennen, whom we called ‘The Frenchman.’ One minute he was lying in a hammock reading, and the next, he was dead of a heart attack. Then Sidney died, and then Armant, known as ‘Cajun.’ Not too long after Cajun died in New Orleans, Morris and his new bride died in a plane crash—just a few years after Sidney’s death. All the Legendre brothers died in the prime of their lives.“
Exciting news! We now have 11 photo albums available in the Lowcountry Digital Library:
http://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/content/gertrude-sanford-legendre-papers-1836-2000
Coming soon: WWII Nazi and Fascist leader photographs, approximately 10 new photo albums (including Indo-China and various African expeditions), World War II correspondence, and photo portraits of Gertrude Legendre by famed artists such as Man Ray, George Platt Lynes, Toni Frissell and Charlotte Fairchild. Enjoy!