Finding the Gibson Girl….
Book: Madcap May Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope
Author: Richard Kurin
Published: 2012
Part One
Exhausted, I was sitting in the aisle drowning amidst a sea of books when I saw her. Mounds of books: on the floor, amok on shelves and disarrayed in the wrong section all by my hands. I was on a mission, searching diligently for an exciting book for review. I wanted to capture the prerequisites my mind had conjured for this assignment. My interest for Women Studies, maybe related to my career, historic and factual but quick moving and scandalous. I had ended up in the biography area scanning covers and inserts for something that would quake my world and there she was. Looming above me (not the salesclerk at BAM although I know she was waiting for the destruction to end), the innocent young girl emerged on a cover simply of black and white, truly fitting of the early 1900s. Her coifed curls and fair skin almost a vision of the iconic Gibson Girl. The title read, Madcap May — Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope, followed by a brief description filled with key words like “queen of stage…least three husbands …maybe twelve…rags to riches…” Madcap insinuates crazy; I was hooked. (How could such a kind face be so seedy?) Fascinated by the era when woman were reputable, I began to flip through the pages and the many alluring photographs and inserts. The final sell: this innocent young lady was born and spent early childhood in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania not two hours away. I had never heard of her. History and scandal all in one.
This was the book I jumped to the back insert. Richard Kurin, the author, is the “ Under Secretary for History, Arts, and Culture at the Smithsonian Institute. He is responsible for many of its national museums and programs.” The credentials that followed were extraordinary — Fulbright fellow with a Ph.D. In follow up research, perhaps I discovered he authored several books. The most outstanding, after ten years of research, was the Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of the Cursed Gem, published in 2009. This work has been termed “groundbreaking” by the Library of Congress. The Hope Diamond chase led him to Mary (May) Yohe. As did I, he wondered why this unique woman was so unknown especially having owned the Hope Diamond: a gem of legend now housed at the Smithsonian.
Kurin’s biography Madcap May Mistress of Myth, Men, and Hope researches the life of Mary (May) Augusta Yohe, born 1869 or 1866; a disputed fact, one of many. In regards to women of the early century, May was a rogue woman living a super-sized life. Kurin associates this lady to the likes of Elizabeth Taylor. Her personality gigantic, her voice described as vivacious and a life of turbulent peak and valleys; the foul-mouthed woman followed no boundaries.
May Yohe was raised in an inn her parents ran in Bethlehem. Her stage life started on the church choir where the author dives in for a brief moment with clinching facts about the Moravian Religion. Giving May reason to have less sexual inhibitions. The excitement is short lived and within a few pages we are back to monotonous history. The starlet dreams of life on stage and after some polishing she winds up performing in the Crystal Slipper at the Chicago Opera House. Her career flourishes. May had a natural ability to play many roles ranging from lady, mistress, sweet, risqué, and even male roles: especially boys. Critics, like George Bernard Shaw, were mystified on her ability to command audiences and make more money a week than singers like Lillian Russel.
Her spiraling life is questionable, filled with many poor decisions and inconsistencies. She married Lord Francis Hope to become duchess and part owner of the Hope Diamond, the gem of legend. This triggers the author’s exhilaration, and he delves into the story to rambling places. May divorces Hope and marries Putnam Strong, son of the New York Mayor. He was much younger and the cougar (as she would be called today) caused enormous scandal. They span the world drinking, fighting, loving, followed by bankruptcy and divorce. The aging star tries to revive her stage talents but only to become literally forgotten. Her life diminished to poverty as a mere floor scrubber, housekeeper and janitor.
What brings her fame again is the author’s favorite subject the Hope Diamond: audiences are mesmerized by it and May conceives a plan to elaborate on the legend. There is occasional talk of illegitimate children and other husbands but the theories are sketchy. Most outstanding was May’s desire to be something; “her ability to move with and where she needed to be through class, gender and more.”
Part Two
Remember me covered in books on the floor of BAM? When I first saw the face of May teasing me to read the book? When I first embarked upon a journey to learn about a woman? And this I can say I did. Was the historic timeline flowing and easy to follow? Perhaps because the lies and exaggeration May herself told and the lack of high tech paparazzi, the book discoursed monotonously at times. While it was rich in history about May Yohe and her life of follies, there are many pages in the book I tagged “confusing.”
Not diminishing in any way from the time spent researching, the book reads like a historical textbook rather than a compelling narrative. It was May’s relationship with the Hope Diamond that led the author to the story. This is quite obvious when he jets off to areas on tangents when the Blue Gem is in the picture. More tangents than needed perhaps. But because the facts in her life are hazy, the pages jump sometimes randomly.
Pictures, sketches and memorabilia compose the main text. The book is filled with an array of wonderful descriptive pictures: her husbands, places they lived and especially her theater life. They are fascinating. Kurin begins each chapter with a quote from May, proving enlightening. One such quote, “a woman is not old until she is dead!” The excerpts and others from her diary are amusing and heartfelt. These small pieces provide some soul not carried through the rest of the book.
Paging back through the book, I reviewed highlighted pieces overshadowed by the monotony, tidbits that sank into the pages almost as May’s same fate. Sprinkled among the history were the things that made her eccentric, risky and larger than life such as: May was actually part of creating the first New Year Eve Celebration in 1904 in the “Great White Way,” where it is still celebrated today in Times Square. She traveled with 12 trunks all over the world, an array of unique animals including a tiger, and an entourage. Ironically half the time she was broke. Her desire to shock audiences, feel love, and empower women made her inspiring.
As Kurin imagines, May would probably be disappointed so few know her name. Although she may appreciate his efforts, I envision her own statement as an expectation: “I should cause earthquakes all over the world with my book….” A woman like May Yohe, in my opinion, commands a jaw dropping scandalous biography unlike any textbook allowed in school. I guess that is what I was searching for.