Description:Amongst Duchess Millicent's correspondence from the 1940s are a number of letters and telegrams from the Hollywood actress Mary Pickford. The Duchess stayed with Mary Pickford on a visit to Beverly Hills in the 1920s.
Many of the letters discuss the Second World War, providing first-hand accounts of people’s perceptions of life during the 1940s. In a letter dated 24th February 1944 Pickford remarks that ‘the world is certainly a topsy turvy place to live in’, and adds that once the war is over, herself and Duchess Millicent could 'spend it in England together and have fun’.
The letter gives an insight into the American perception of the conflict. Pickford writes ‘it is said here the war with Germany will be over by late fall, November, and that it will probably take a year to a year and a half after that to finish off the Japs.’
In a Western Union Telegram dated September 8th 1943 Pickford informs Duchess Millicent that she was planning a trip to London ‘for English Canadian and American Camps’, indicating that she entertained troops during the conflict.
Pickford also talks about domestic life, telling Millie about her intentions to adopt more children, commenting that her children are ‘becoming a greater joy daily’. The letters suggest that both ladies coped during the war by remembering happier times. In a letter from October 1943 Pickford writes ‘you and I both have seen much of beauty in this world and nothing can take the memory of it from us.’
Documents relating to Mary Pickford featured on the Sutherland Collection website courtesy of the Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education. Click on the link below to learn more about the Mary Pickford Institute.