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Washington, 1912. "Edward Beale McLean with Mrs. McLean." Edward (Ned) would become publisher of the Washington Post; his wife, the mining heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, was the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. Their tempestuous union would be the fodder for countless headlines leading up to their divorce in 1929. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Shall I be the first to quote Cole Porter on the subject of Mrs. Maclean?
When Mrs. Ned McLean (God bless her)
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Then I suppose
Anything goes.
The lyric stems from a trip to Russia she made shortly after the Revolution, in which her wealth played surprisingly well to the proletariat. I don't remember the details.
My best friend's mother played with Evalyn's daughter when they were children. One day while playing on the big overstuffed sofa, Julie reached down between the cushions and pulled up the Hope diamond. Mrs. Maclean told her that a thief would never find it there.
Ned was well known for stag dinner parties whose guests were served while mounted on horses - in the dining room! English saddle, of course...
I wonder if this poodle is the dog who was allowed to wear the Hope Diamond all day long on his birthday.
I disagree with Older than Yoda. A rich man with a terrier is not likely to be indecisive by nature. A terrier is a determined little dog and I think Mr McLean has the look of a very determined, and wealthy, man.
I think poodle clipping makes what was once a noble dog look silly.
Evalyn would be toast. Her flamboyant, showy poodle indicates her high opinion of herself, while his little white pup looks as indecisive as Ned does. Just seems like Ned's inner thoughts may be betraying his public persona. Those eyes of his are fodder for countless funny captions (but I just can't think of any).
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