Rebekah Harkness and her Harkness Ballet in 1966. She said she married her first, photographer Dickson Pierce, because she had nothing else to do. No surprise, that union ended in divorce. Let the little creature die!'' She brought her Squad musician, actor and model friends to the mansion for Fourth of July Taymerica parties. According to Blue Blood, a book by Craig Unger, Harkness wrote in her scrapbook that at Fermata, she set out do everything bad. An example of her mischievousness? P.O. They performed a strip tease at a social event and put mineral oil into the punch bowl at a coming-out party. Craig Unger, a former editor at New York magazine, appears to be dazzled by all this, although it is sometimes hard to tell whether his breathlessness arises from approval, disapproval, sadness, awe or simple bewilderment. I myself wouldn't give the time of day to anyone who cleaned her pool out with Dom Perignon, put mineral oil in the punch at her sister's debutante ball and (all in the middle of the Great Depression) got tossed off an ocean liner for shouting obscenities, throwing dinner plates at an orchestra of Filipinos gamely playing the American national anthem, and offending the sensibilities of her fellow passengers by swimming nude - for which actions she counted herself witty. All of the work and much of the music was original. Her parents hired a nanny for Harkness specifically because she "had worked in an insane asylum," and then Harkness went to finishing school, where she decided to "do everything bad." (No such record could be found, but the famous Surrealist artist did design the $250,000 jewel-studded urn that held herashes. An avid dance enthusiast who had studied ballet and Spanish dance, her second marriage - to Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness - made her one of the wealthiest women in America. In October 1948, Harkness gave birth to her first child with her second husband, a daughter Edith. And yes, diving into Harknesss outrageous, gilded life is indeed a journey through a past era. Oh my God, the question here is: What didnt she do? She soon became the owner of a vast number of properties, and indulged in many luxuries. ''We were the favorites,'' says a dancer. Soon Clive Barnes was writing that the Harkness Ballet had ''descended beyond the necessity of serious consideration,'' and in 1975 it folded. Donning a black chiffon Mainbocher dress with a white silk back-tied apron, she flashed a wry smile at the camera. She moved hundreds of thousands of dollars from one bank to another for the pleasure of confusing her accountants. ''We were the loved ones.'' (Mr. Scevers has a stunning way of placing himself squarely in the center of every sentence he utters; he appears to believe that Rebekah Harkness's death happened more to him than to her.) [1] Her grandfather founded the St. Louis Union Trust Company. Rebekah bought a mansion on New Yorks Upper East Side and turned it into a posh training center for dancers called Harkness House. Rebekah Harkness. . By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. But beneath the elegant surface lurked a driven woman tormented by personal demons. Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Parents. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. She was also a composer. So, how much is Rebekah Harkness worth at the age of 67 years old? Fast forward 60 years, and another thin, rich, beautiful white woman bought Holiday House. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. Allen Pierce, Rebekah's son by the first of her four husbands, was unable to be present. Doctors told Harkness that she had one ailment that no amount of money could cure: She was dying of stomach cancer. A philanthropist. A philanthropist. William was rolling in money, which made him the perfect candidate for Rebekahs expensive tastes. [10][11], Later in life, she studied in Fontainebleau, France, with Nadia Boulanger, at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, and the Mannes College of Music, New York. When Harkness planned to put Angels nursery over top of his room, Scevers snapped, Let the little creature die! Unfortunately, he was one of the few people still by Harknesss side when the end came. They had a son, Allen, and a daughter, Terry. An awning saved her life. She also studied orchestration with Lee Hoiby and received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire, in 1968.[12]. Rebekah Harkness had ambition and drive. Sadly, the socialites seemingly bottomless cruelty would soon hit even greater lows. Though Rebekah grew up in a wealthy St. Louis family, her social status was elevated when, after her first divorce, she married William. For a time in the 1950s, socialite Rebekah Harkness was true American royalty. The Bliss Balance - Create Success, Peace, and Happiness in Your Life. 44 Rebekah Harkness Pictures Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 44 Rebekah Harkness Pictures Premium High Res Photos Browse 44 rebekah harkness pictures stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. She attended finishing school at Fermata in Aiken, South Carolina, from 1929 to 1932, before pursuing advanced instruction in harmonic . It was so wonderful - everybody running around signing wills and trying on different wigs.''. People reported that Harknesss lavish marble bathrooms were often splattered with blood, and that her muscles had begun to calcify. She filled a pool with Champagne. In 1974, Harkness married again, this time to another doctor named Niels H. Lauersen. Discover Rebekah Harkness, the extravagant woman who inspired Taylor Swifts song the last great american dynasty.. In her obituary, shes credited with supporting the Joffrey and Jerome Robbins ballet companies. Though her children Edith and Terry rushed to her bedside along with her lover Bobby Scevers, the scene was anything but heart-warming. She hoped that the fourth time would be the charm, but the socialite had no such luck. [13], A philanthropist, Harkness supported the Joffrey Ballet for years, as well as the Harkness Ballet Foundation and the William Hale Harkness Foundation. She also bought them an old firehouse in Westerly to practice in, calling it the Harkness Center for the Arts. The Harkness Foundation for Dance still exists. We have estimated Rebekah Harkness's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. Their antics soon became legendary. Born April 17, 1915 Died June 17, 1982 (67) Showcase yourself on IMDbPro Add to list Credits Mr. Unger tells us that under the direction of the dancer-choreographer Larry Rhodes the company began to garner critical raves - whereupon Mrs. Harkness fired him. Before his death in August 1954, they had one child together; Edith Hale Harkness (19481982). She is from USA. St. Louis, MO 63119 When they criticized her for getting pudgy, she took up skating and dance, practicing with a fierce discipline. Harkness was jealous to an absolute fault, and even to her own detriment. In the eyes of many, she had betrayed him. Shop for Rebekah Harkness at Walmart.com. Today its pretty much forgotten, despite the tens of millions of dollars she spent on it. Convicted of murder in the second degree, he was behind the bars of a Florida jail. Rebekah Harkness patronage allowed the Joffrey to perform in Iran. Taylor Swift bought the former Holiday House in 2013 for a reported $17.75 million in cash. The Harkness Ballet would eventually have two touring companies, a youth ballet (which taught Patrick Swayze) and its own theater. Rebekahs son Allen once confessed how truly disturbing and sycophantic his mothers social circle was, describing the blackmailing lawyers, the weirdos, the people in the trances. Harkness also knew how to keep all of her adoring public in competition with each other, with each one of her lackies vying to become the favorite. Before her passing, she picked up her most dedicatedand most heartlessfan yet. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. One of Harknesss signature moves was to use vastly expensive products for everyday, mundane things. In recent years, Harkness has gained new fameor infamybecause of her connection to Taylor Swift. Knowing all this (and much, much more; Mr. Unger withholds no ugly or racy detail), what is it exactly that we have learned? It was the second marriage for both of them. Rebekah and Bill Harkness had one daughter, Edith. $ 25.93. Rebekah Harkness, who also went by Betty, was the previous owner of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island home and serves as the inspiration for the third track on her latest album. But the result was disastrous. For example, he liked to vanity-publish nonsensical books that even he admitted were awful. Illustrated. All Rights Reserved. Category 1960s Pop Art Black and White Photography. A patron of dance and medicine. Rebekah Harkness was practically destined to become a spoiled little rich girl. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. The most tragic detail? (I do admit, however, that I'd go a long way to read a sentence like this, spoken by Bertrand Castelli, the co-producer of ''Hair,'' about the time he made love to Rebekah Harkness in her office: ''It was as if we were two camels in the desert who suddenly know that the only way to make an oasis is to really talk sense.'' She was surrounded by a group her son Allen described as ''all the fairies flying off the floor, the blackmailing lawyers, the weirdos, the people in the trances.'' Rebekah Harkness was born in 1915 to a rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis family. Shed had a brief, unhappy marriage to a doctor in the early 1960s. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. Blue Blood is a story of tragic proportions. On June 10, 1939, Harkness married Dickson W. Pierce, the son of Thomas M. Pierce. One could almost feel sorry for her. With her help, the Joffrey won international renownsomething she wanted for herself. Hey, all publicity is good publicityand Rebekahs need to be in the spotlight soon grew to disturbing proportions. If a dancer needed dental work or a nose job, she paid for it. All rights reserved. Scevers and Harkness brought out the worst in each other. At the end of the song, she suggests a certain satisfaction regardless of the answer: There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvelous time ruining everything.. When she got out, she sold her Palisades mansion to the Isley Brothers. $ 12.19. Who Is Rebekah Harkness? However, the connection between the two women, despite being eras apart, may go beyond mere real estate. Like this story? In addition to the three kids she has with Jamie, Rebekah has two children, Megan and Taylor, from previous relationships. Her wealthy neighbors had other ideas, and scornfully forced her to remove the unsightly object. '', After her divorce from W. Dickson Pierce, an upper-class advertising photographer, she chose for her second husband the Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness, who enjoyed a lofty social status, as her own family did not. The dancers, choreographers, composers and designers were pioneers and experimenters. After Rebekah Harkness' husband died in 1953, she remodeled the house with 8 kitchens and 21 bathrooms in order to 'effectively kept her from having to see her three children on anything like a . Harkness pulled this prank at her own sisters debutante ball. Rebekah Harkness Photo: Jack Mitchell/Getty Images. Throughout the . Besides despising Rebekahs children, Scevers also hated her disabled granddaughter Angel. By 1980, many of Harknesss old friends had dropped off, and she was left with only her most sycophantic hangers-on. Dancer Lawrence Rhodes said it was one of the few times he was embarrassed to be in a ballet. In 2020, Swift then penned the song the last great american dynasty, which tells Harknesss twisted story for the world. Harkness' passions for dance and music followed her into adulthood. Harkness, born Rebekah Semple West, grew up amidst splendor in St. Louis as the third and youngest child of Allen Tarwater West, heir to a banking fortune, and Rebekah Semple, daughter of a wealthy merchant. [9][14] Following the divorce, Harkness gained custody of both children. By Elise Taylor. Her daughter Edith jumped off roofs, swallowed pills and managed not to kill herself. Before she passed, the socialite spent $250,000 to commission a bedazzled urn from none other than Salvador Dali. By 1982, the end was near for Harkness, yet tragically her son Allen wasnt there. ''Oh, my God,'' said a witness. Family Members. After she was widowed, Mrs. Harkness renovated her Rhode Island house; she installed 8 kitchens and 21 baths. This week, Taylor Swift showed the world what shes been working on during quarantine: a new album, Folklore, which the singer-songwriter released late Thursday evening. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. First, a brief biography: Born Rebekah Semple West in St. Louis in 1915, Harkness was a divorce whose second marriage was to Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness. When publicizing her ballet, Harkness became notorious for refusing to showcase any of her talented dancers in the promotional photographs. Rebekahs parents might not have cared a whit about loving their daughter, but they sure as heck cared about what she looked like. She lived on champagne and injections - Vitamin B, testosterone, painkillers - as a result of which her bathrooms were splattered with blood and her muscles calcified. Then in 1947, she married Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness, who brought her into the serious money class. Image courtesy Holiday House, Courtesy Google, Maxar Technologies. After her husband passed away in 1954, Harkness poured more money into her Watch Hill compound, installing 8 kitchens and 21 baths. Were always looking for your input! Oh, but they had more tricks up their perfectly-tailored sleeves. Tag Archives: Rebekah Harkness. The New York Times described him as an embarrassing sort of man, and his hobbies completely back this up. The Joffrey dancers who spent the summer at Holiday House loved it. Harkness was surprisingly generous when it suited her, but also unpredictably bizarre. [10] In 1947, William Hale married Rebekah Semple West, [11] who was previously married to Dickson Pierce. Its here where Rebekah catapulted into high society. In November of 1977, her son Allen shot a man during a brawl in Miami. Meanwhile, the booze and the pills caught up with her. (Her reasoning was thus: I hope the beauty of Harkness House will persuade some of these people that ballet need not be dingy and that by their patronage they are contributing to the splendid and glamorous.) Yet disagreements over artistic direction led to the companys disbanding in 1970. Suddenly, Rebekah was a rich widowone of the wealthiest women in America, in fact. Reportedly, the baby Angel innocently pulled a ribbon from Harknesss perfectly coifed hair. Rebekah Harkness spent much of the Standard Oil fortune she inherited on the ballet. [4], On June 10, 1939, Harkness married Dickson W. Pierce, the son of Thomas M. Now she has one more posthumous title: muse. Craig Unger tries to stipulate that Rebekah, who died in 1982 at the age of 67, was an interesting person. To zero peoples surprise, the Harkness family was utterly dysfunctional. When I first saw someone bring up Blue Blood (The story of Rebekah Harkness and how one of the richest families in America descended into drugs, madness, suicide and violence), I was lurking in a Taylor Swift Facebook group. There she delighted, as she wrote in her scrapbook, in setting out to ''do everything bad. Its estimated she spent the 2020 equivalent of $86 million on the endeavor. (You can see a video clip of Salvador Dali and Rebekah Harkness here.). The music video featured the beach and the waves from the house, just as Rebekah Harkness would have seen it. One critic denounced it as the worst mural ever made. All the extra rooms would give the nannies plenty of space to feed and bathe the babies without Rebekah having to know a thing about it. Rebekah was born in 1915 to Allen and Rebekah West in St. Louis, Missouri. The Harkness Theater opened in 1974, but by then Rebekah had started to run out of money. . I am beginning to think that biography, especially the biography of such a chaotic personality as Rebekah Harkness, needs to be molded and informed by a novelist's ordering imagination. By James Crowley On 7/24/20 at 12:22 PM EDT. [12] Allen Pierce, was convicted of murder after shooting a man in a brawl, her daughter Terry's child was born with brain damage and died at the age of ten and her other daughter Edith died of suicide, following numerous stays at mental health institutions. But the common message was that Rebekah Harkness was a mean, jealous widow with too much money and time for her own good, and she laughed about it bad attention was still attention, and her vengeful, hurting heart nursed itself with it, and a pint of ice cream of course. ''Is there a chic way to go?''. Rebekah was previously married to Niels H. Lauersen, Benjamin Harrison Kean, William Hale Harkness and Dickson W. Pierce. She attended finishing school at the Fermata School for Girls in Aiken, South Carolina, whose other alums included Roosevelts and Auchinclosses. The Harknesses were married for a brief periodjust seven years. She poured money into Harkness House, a dance studio meant to mimic the grandeur of European ballet schools, outfitting it with a marble staircase, silk shades, and a crystal chandelier. Upon her death in 1982, Rebekah Harkness was called many things in her New York Times obituary. Following the death of her second husband, William Hale Harkness, she inherited his fortune. Wade, teaches a dance school for children and directs 2 dance companies, one providing performing opportunities for children and one for adults. Just after 1966, Harkness became a grandmother when her daughter Terry gave birth to a little girl. [2] Neither parent was involved in the upbringing of the children, leaving them to be raised primarily by nannies. Taylor Swift By Cosmopolitan UK, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90905376. Based on "The Last Great American Dynasty's" lyrics, it's clear that Swift feels a palpable connection with Harkness, despite the decades between them. It would be interesting to see what a social historian, someone familiar with the hierarchies of caste and class in America - or, better yet, a novelist with a theological bent - would make of the raw material Mr. Unger has gathered. Salvador Dali put one touchingand classically narcissisticdetail into The Chalice of Life. The urn spun on its base so that Harkness could always be dancing, even beyond the grave. But the loud parties caused problems with the neighbors. [23], An American Ballet Story is an upcoming documentary film directed by Leslie Strait and sponsored by the International Documentary Association. Her parties, always extravagant, now grew bizarre, with Harkness trying out new things like dyeing her chocolate mousse blue before serving it to guests or, in yet another notorious act, dyeing a cat green. Swift explains it briefly in a verseHarkness once owned Holiday House, the singers current Watch Hill, Rhode Island, home. [4] Harkness also surrounded herself with other well-known creatives, like yogi B.K.S. Her 1955 tone poem, Safari Suite, was performed at Carnegie Hall, and in 1957 she released an album titled Music With a Heartbeat. Bobby Scevers, Rebekah's lover, 25 years younger than she and a self-declared homosexual, pronounced her children ''the most worthless, selfish, useless creatures I've ever seen.'' Rebekah Semple West was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1915. Rebekah Harkness' antics annoyed her neighbors, while Jesus' antics got him murdered by the state and by some religious leaders. Harkness only left death in her wake wherever she went. In the first verse of The Last Great American Dynasty, Swift sings that the ceremony was charming, if a little gauche / Theres only so far new money goes.. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The Joffrey had a price to pay for Rebekah Harknesss support. She lost card game bets with Salvador Dal. The children were visiting Bill's family and Alfonso had left . And about the times she cleaned her pool with Dom Perignon, dyed the neighbors cat green and filled her fish tank with scotch. Where Harkness had her Bitch Pack, Swifts group of friends had a much-scrutinized squad. Her children, not so much. While he was under her employ, she would often order him around romantically. She was the second daughter of three children to Allen Tarwater West, a stockbroker and co-founder of G. H. Walker & Co., and Rebekah Cook (ne Semple) West. Even the governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo, piled on, proposing a special tax on special homes worth more than a million dollars. And when she discovered one of her Joffrey dancers didnt own a suit, she sent all the Joffrey men to Saks and all the women to Bergdorfs for formalwear. Silver Gelatin. She started by bringing the company to Watch Hill (despite the neighbors) in the summer for instruction, practice and choreography. If I report on the demise of the multimillionaire patron of the dance dry-eyed, it is because I am confident in the belief that nothing we say about the dead can prejudice the Defense or tip the Scales of Judgment. People talked about the time she dressed up as a maid and served drinks at her own party. . Romance and heartbreak (and revenge) ballads make up the primary focus of most albums; however, her newest album, Folklore, which debuted today, features a song, titled "The Last Great American Dynasty," about a New England philanthropist and patron of the arts, Rebekah West Harkness. The waves from the House, the Harkness ballet would eventually have two touring companies a... Bars of a Florida jail woman who inspired Taylor Swifts song the last great American..... Latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and a Edith. At Holiday House, the end came the urn spun on its base so that Harkness could be. Pleasure of confusing her accountants generous when it suited her, but sure... West was born in 1915 to Allen and Rebekah West in St. Louis family in money, made. Booze and the waves from the Timess print archive, before the start online. 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