"People thought I was a freak. I kind of liked that"

September 5, 2014 7:40 PM

"Just when it must have felt as if everything was going wrong, not least the relationship with [David] Bailey, which was in freefall, and her career, which had been derailed by severe late-onset acne that left her face swollen, it got worse. She was arrested during a drugs bust for possession of cocaine. Scarred and looking rough, she bore no resemblance to the kind of woman who might find herself on the front cover of Vogue. The police, holding her in custody for the night, refused to believe that she was either a famous model or the daughter of wealthy parents who could easily afford bail. 'In a way, I was stripped of my identity completely,' she says." A rare interview with Penelope Tree from The Observer in 2008.

Penelope Tree, ‘Hot, Hot, Hot, Smart, Smart, Smart!’. from the blog, A.G. Nauta Couture.

Penelope Tree, beguiling the camera again, The New York Times

Penelope TREE: Wood Nymph from The Moldy Doily.

The iconic photo of Tree in her livingroom, by Diane Arbus (Wikipedia).

oh, Penelope Tree (tumblr)

A detailed post about Truman Capote's famous '60s Black and White Ball, with a mention of Penelope Tree.

Wikipedia entry for Penelope Tree.

posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (7 comments total)

(This is the 2006 Burberry ad that Tree was in, FYI - I meant to include it.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:56 PM on September 5, 2014

It's an interesting and sadly typical tale. I have spent a major portion of my life working construction which yields fucked up knees, spines, hips, some fucked up soft tissue.

Attractive women suffer a similar fate as do construction workers. Valuable when you are young and then you get old and you are no longer useful.

I think this particular example illustrates young women as commodities but I honestly believe it's just one more illustration of an ageist culture.

What about the oldz?
posted by vapidave at 3:14 AM on September 6, 2014 [3 favorites]

Felt: Penelope Tree
posted by the bricabrac man at 4:09 AM on September 6, 2014 [2 favorites]

I don't know, it sounds like Penelope feels pretty useful in her current life and maybe more so than when she was young and modelling. I only read the Guardian article so far but I got the sense of a person at peace with her life and with some kind of purpose. Maybe it's not as glamorous as going to balls and being in magazines but surely helping under privileged children around the world is worth something?
posted by shelleycat at 6:45 AM on September 6, 2014 [3 favorites]

Penelope Tree has had a fascinating life. I read the biography of her mother, Marietta Tree after coming across her in reading about two of her more famous lovers Adlai Stevenson and John Huston.

Her quote about her mother

And yes, she accomplished many things and lots of men fell for her,' she pauses. 'But she was a crap mother, unfortunately. We had a very tough time relating to each other and although I can genuinely say without any bullshit that I have inherited her strength, I do often wonder what it would have been like to have a loving mother... Or even a mother.'

posted by readery at 8:19 AM on September 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

She's more beautiful now, I think. Partly because i never dug the wierd waif look, but also because in her current photos... she's smiling! It's a good look.

(Also, I'm of an age... I also am attracted to Diane Keaton. Sally Fields. Oh yeah.)
posted by Artful Codger at 8:55 AM on September 6, 2014 [3 favorites]

Love her-- looking forward to digging into these.

Also, the Penelope Tree "puppy" eyeliner is a much more forgiving 60's makeup option for those of us with crow's feet (no cat's eye here)
posted by travertina at 2:35 PM on September 6, 2014 [1 favorite]