A TIME FOR REFLECTION : THE SAVOY SUITE
such claims to fame as being the first luxury hotel to have electricity, install air-conditioning and provide hot running water. It was also the first hotel in which a member of the Royal Family was seen to dine publicly, and provided the setting for HM Queen Elizabeth’s first public sighting with her then suitor Prince Philip. The Savoy thus becomes somewhat of an enigma, keenly poised with one eye to the future whilst conserving and rejoicing in its heritage and history. The convolution of this blend is captured in the execution of these portraits, each of which hosts a subject as complex as the aesthetic of the hotel itself. Linked by their high profile patronage of The Savoy, this galaxy of stars also share the common denominator of all being highly complicated characters. It is a recognised sentiment that troubled souls often seek solace in the approval of strangers, with many reported cases of depression and anxiety among the elite names from the silver screen to the music industry. The aura of success and the dusting of glamour offer a degree of camouflage, and trick the eye of the beholder into seeing the persona rather than the person. From the rumours of communist sympathies surrounding Charlie Chaplin to Alfred Hitchcock’s struggles with personal relationships, the alleged mob connections that plagued Frank Sinatra’s career, Marilyn Monroe’s documented substance abuse and the sexual proclivities of Marlene Dietrich which were subject to rife gossip, it is small wonder that these individuals sought escapism in the gilded surrounds of The Savoy. And there they remain, thanks to A Time For Reflection: The Savoy Suite .
4 | STUART McALPINE MILLER
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