Figure 1.--Here the boys wear their Little Lord Fauntleroy suits, probably about 1891. They much preferred their sailor suits. I'm not sure who the eldely gentleman was.
|
Figure 1.--Here the boys wear their Little Lord Fauntleroy suits, probably about 1891. They much preferred their sailor suits. I'm not sure who the eldely gentleman was. |
The Wilde's has two sons: Cyril (1885-1915) and Vyvyan (1886-1967). We have little information about their childhood at this time. We have some idea as to how they wre dressed from available portraits. They seem to have been dressed very fashionably, apparrantly in matching outfits. We note satin cavalier outfits, Little Lord Fauntleroy suits, sailor suits, and other outfits. Following Wilde's disgrace, Constance took the children to Switzerland. She changed the family name to Holland. Constance died only a few years later (1898). Cyril Holland was killed in World War I. This is an occurance that we too often have to report in British, French, and German biographies. Vyvyan went on the write a book Son of Oscar Wilde. Vyvyan's son Merlin is also a writer and the family has kept the name Holland, never reverting to Wilde.
The Wilde's has two sons: Cyril (1885-1915) and Vyvyan (1886-1967). Vyvyan Oscar Beresford was tge name used for his christening, although Vivian was more commonly used by the family.
The boys had a marvelous early childhood. They grew up the Wildes' fashionable home in Tite Street, Chelsea. There was a nursery for them when they were little, a common practice at the time. As their father was a popular playwrite and their mother an attractive and cultured hostess, the litterati of London were often present in their home. Vivian recalls people like John Singer Sargent, John Ruskin, Mark Twain, Robert Browning, Algernon Swinburne, and Ellen Terry. Rather impressive company. The boys absolutely adored their father, "... he was a hero to us both. He was so tall and distinguished and, to our uncritical eyes, so handsome .... He was a real companion to us, and we always looked forward eagerly to his frequent visits to our nursery.... He would go down on all fours on the nursery floor, being in turn a lion, a wolf, a horse, caring nothing for his usually immaculate appearance."
We have some idea as to how they wre dressed from available portraits. They seem to have been dressed very fashionably, apparrently in matching outfits. Usually mothers selected the clothes of younger children. We are not sure to what extent their father was involved in choosing their clothing. We know that he was interested in fashion and known to weak velvet suits with knickers fir his lectures. We note satin cavalier outfits, Little Lord Fauntleroy suits, sailor suits, and other outfits. Here they can be seen wearing their velvet Little Lord Fauntleroy suits (figure 1). Noitice that both the suits and collars are cut differently. We do not know if the boys were dressed in identical outfits, but they were clearly dressed ins imilar outfits. While their father apparently liked velvet suits, the boys were much less enamored of them. They much preferred their sailor suits. The boys also wore berets and blouses with large collars.
The boys were enrolled in a preparatory school, but I do not yet have detailed informaion on this.
Theeir father's legal problems shattered the boys' family life (1895). Their mother decided that the boys could no longer stay at their school. They had no idea what had happened, but they would have been subjected to terrible taunts from the other boys. She decide to send them to Switzerland with a French governess. Te boys stayed there 3 years. It was in in Switzerland with their mother and her brother, Otho Lloyd, instructed the boys that they had to forget their name Wilde and they would now be called Holland. This was the name of their mother's relations. Vyvyan was told that his name was bow Vivian and the Oscar Beresford dropped. The boys were not told what had happened, but they were told in no uncertain terms that there would becserious repercussions if their old idebntity xlipped out. Vivian later wrote, "The thought that at any moment an indiscreet remark or a chance encounter with someone from our former lives might betray us was a sword of Damocles constantly hanging above our heads". Vivian recalls that even 2 years after their father's digrace that he still did not know just what his father had done. Cyril found out but did not tell his little brother. Constance Wilde's family wanted to eradicate all memory of his father and insisted that he was dead and that literary work was not important. Vivian recalls that he was so miserable that he once layed down in the snow wanting to die.
Consance's actions may seem harsh. What she did was not out of hatred for her disgraced husband. She must have kniwn about Oscar before the public scandal occurred. She wrote to Vivian shortly before her death, "Try not to feel harshly about your father; remember that he is your father and that he loves you. All his troubles arose from the hatred of a son for his father, and whatever he has done he has suffered bitterly for".
Constance injjured her back. Surgeons operated on her spinal cord in Genoa, but she died (1898).
The boys returned to England after their mother's death. Vivian was brough back from Monaco by a priest. He was taken in by his mother's aunt. Cyril who was 2 years older, 13 at the time. was allowed to leave his school at Heidelberg and come home on his own The boys were split and sent to different schools. Vivian went to Stonyhurst College, Lancashire. Cyril was sent to Radley School. With this separation they no longer spebt much time together, but kept in touch by writing. After his father died (1900), the Rector of Stonyhurst summoned Vivian and told him. Vivian remembers saying, "But I thought he died long ago." and began crying. Vivian while still at school at age 16 read Robert Sherard's Oscar Wilde: The Story of an Unhappy Friendship (1902) and finally learned what had happened. He remembers being so "depressed" that he determined to read no further books about his father. He entered Trinity College at age 19 to study law (1905). Here he began to read his father's works and was greatly impressed. He decided not to persue a law career and left Trinity (1907).
Cyril decided to make a career in the Army and joined the Royal Field Artillery (1906).
World War I broke out (1914). Vivian with not military background entered service as a second lieutenant. With his linguistic talents he was assigned to the Interpreters Corps, but learned that no more interpreters were needed. He transferred to the Royal Field Artillery where his brother was serving.
Looking back, Vivian wrote, "He was not popular with his brother officers, who considered him pompous and intolerant. He would not join the small talk of the mess, mostly scandal or about sport. And they could not understand anyone who spent his ordinary leave in travelling about Europe and visiting art galleries instead of hunting, shooting, yachting, or fishing". Cyril was killed during the second battle for Neuve Chapelle (1915). This is an occurance that we too often have to report in British, French, and German biographies.A sniper shot and killed Cyril . Vivian who was only a few miles away was shattered. He wrote, "The last link with Tite Street and the spacious days had snapped". While still in France, Vivian learned that his wife, Violet, had been terribly burned in a fire. She dued before he gt home (1918). Vivian had been wounded and mentioned in several dispatches for his bravery under fire. He was warded the Order of the British Empire and discharged (1919).
After returning to England, Vivian began a career as a translator, author, and editor. He edited a series French romances written in the 18th century (1925-28). He worked on a wide variety of books in several languages. He translated novels by the French author Julian Green. An important work was a biography of Stalin by Henri Barbusse. He translated and edited several of his father's works into other languages. Vivian went on the write a book Son of Oscar Wilde. Vyvyan's son Merlin is also a writer and the family has kept the name Holland, never reverting to Wilde.
Holland, Merlin. A Wilde Album.
Holland, Vyvyan. Son of Oscar Wilde (1954)
Time Remembered: After Père Lachaise (1966).
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main Oscar Wilde page]
[Return to the Main biographies page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Cloth and textiles]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Satellite sites]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]