Iris Tree
Encyclopedia
Iris Tree was an English poet, actress and artists' model, described as a bohemian
, an eccentric, a wit
and an adventuress.
Her parents were actors Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
and Helen Maud Tree, and her sisters were actresses Felicity
and Viola Tree
. An aunt was author Constance Beerbohm
, and her uncles were explorer and author Julius Beerbohm
and caricaturist
and parodist
Max Beerbohm
.
Iris Tree was sought after, as a young woman, as an artists' model, being painted by Augustus John
, simultaneously by Duncan Grant
, Vanessa Bell
and Roger Fry
, and sculpted by Jacob Epstein
, showing her bobbed hair (she was said to have cut off the rest and left it on a train) that, along with other behaviour, caused much scandal. She was photographed by Man Ray
. She ran with Nancy Cunard
for a time, in a set at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant of Rudolph Stulik; and acted alongside Diana Cooper in the mid-1920s.
She had studied at the Slade School of Art. She contributed verse to the 1917 Sitwell
anthology
Wheels; her published collections were Poems (1920) and The Traveller and other Poems (1927).
She married twice. Her first marriage was to Curtis Moffat
, a New Yorker; Ivan Moffat
, the screenwriter
, was their son. Her second marriage was to the actor and ex-officer of the Austria
n cavalry, Friedrich von Ledebur-Wicheln. They both appear (after their divorce) in the 1956 film version
of Moby-Dick
. She also appears in a cameo, essentially as herself, in Federico Fellini
's La dolce vita
.
She was the great-grandmother of actress Georgina Moffat
.
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
, an eccentric, a wit
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
and an adventuress.
Her parents were actors Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
and Helen Maud Tree, and her sisters were actresses Felicity
Felicity Tree
Lady Felicity Cory-Wright was an English baronetess, the daughter of the actor Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and his wife, the actress Helen Maud Holt...
and Viola Tree
Viola Tree
Viola Tree was an English actress, singer, playwright and author. Daughter of the actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree, she made many of her early appearances with his company at His Majesty's Theatre...
. An aunt was author Constance Beerbohm
Constance Beerbohm
Constance Beerbohm was the oldest daughter of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm , of Dutch, Lithuanian, and German origin, who had come to England in about 1830 and set up as a prosperous corn merchant. He married an Englishwoman, Constantia Draper, and the couple had four children...
, and her uncles were explorer and author Julius Beerbohm
Julius Beerbohm
Julius Beerbohm was a Victorian travel-writer, engineer and explorer.He was the son of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm , of Dutch, Lithuanian, and German origin, who had come to England in about 1830 and set up as a prosperous corn merchant. He married an Englishwoman, Constantia Draper, and the...
and caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
and parodist
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
.
Iris Tree was sought after, as a young woman, as an artists' model, being painted by Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, simultaneously by Duncan Grant
Duncan Grant
Duncan James Corrowr Grant was a British painter and designer of textiles, potterty and theatre sets and costumes...
, Vanessa Bell
Vanessa Bell
Vanessa Bell was an English painter and interior designer, a member of the Bloomsbury group, and the sister of Virginia Woolf.- Biography and art :...
and Roger Fry
Roger Fry
Roger Eliot Fry was an English artist and art critic, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Establishing his reputation as a scholar of the Old Masters, he became an advocate of more recent developments in French painting, to which he gave the name Post-Impressionism...
, and sculpted by Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
, showing her bobbed hair (she was said to have cut off the rest and left it on a train) that, along with other behaviour, caused much scandal. She was photographed by Man Ray
Man Ray
Man Ray , born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...
. She ran with Nancy Cunard
Nancy Cunard
Nancy Clara Cunard was a writer, heiress and political activist. She was born into the British upper class but strongly rejected her family's values, devoting much of her life to fighting racism and fascism...
for a time, in a set at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant of Rudolph Stulik; and acted alongside Diana Cooper in the mid-1920s.
She had studied at the Slade School of Art. She contributed verse to the 1917 Sitwell
The Sitwells
The Sitwells , from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, were three siblings, who formed an identifiable literary and artistic clique around themselves in London in the period roughly 1916 to 1930...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Wheels; her published collections were Poems (1920) and The Traveller and other Poems (1927).
She married twice. Her first marriage was to Curtis Moffat
Curtis Moffat
Curtis Moffat was an abstract photographer, color still life and society portraitist. At times he collaborated with Man Ray.-Biography:...
, a New Yorker; Ivan Moffat
Ivan Moffat
Ivan Moffat was a British screenwriter and associate producer who, with Fred Guiol, was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for adapting Edna Ferber's novel Giant into the film Giant....
, the screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, was their son. Her second marriage was to the actor and ex-officer of the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n cavalry, Friedrich von Ledebur-Wicheln. They both appear (after their divorce) in the 1956 film version
Moby Dick (1956 film)
Moby Dick is a 1956 film adaptation of Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. It was directed by John Huston with a screenplay by Ray Bradbury and the director. The film starred Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, and Leo Genn...
of Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
. She also appears in a cameo, essentially as herself, in Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
's La dolce vita
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama film written and directed by the critically acclaimed director Federico Fellini. The film is a story of a passive journalist's week in Rome, and his search for both happiness and love that will never come...
.
She was the great-grandmother of actress Georgina Moffat
Georgina Moffat
Georgina Moffat is an Australian / English singer-songwriter, actress and model. Georgina currently uses an alias for her music career. She is the great granddaughter of poet, actress and muse Iris Tree, the granddaughter of Ivan Moffat, and the great great granddaughter of RADA founder Sir...
.
External links
- IMDb entry
- Tree archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...