Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge (45 page)

Nervo, Jimmy and Teddy Knox,
234

Nestle, Charles,
103

New Age
(magazine),
122

New York: luxury shopping,
7

stock market crash (1873),
22

HGS visits,
32
–3

New York Herald Tribune
,
249

Newnes, George,
84

News of the World
,
240
–41

Newton, Sir Alfred,
94

Nice: HGS gambles in,
184

Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia,
147

Nicholson, Howard,
187

Northcliffe, Alfred Harmsworth, Viscount: publishes
Daily Mail
,
84
,
104

visits Selfridge’s,
89

favours aviation,
104
–5

anti-consumer crusade (1914),
125

owns
Evening News
,
136

heads British War Mission to USA,
151

praises HGS’s achievements,
155

on HGS’s first commercial flight,
156

decline and death,
170

Novello, Clara,
188

Novello, Ivor,
188
,
202
,
240

O

Obolensky, Princess Alice (
née
Astor),
183

Obolensky, Prince Serge,
183

Observer
(newspaper),
135

Ochs, Mr and Mrs Adolph S.,
184

Ogden, William Butler,
19

Olstead, Frederick Law,
47

Onou, Alexander,
190

Orpen, Sir William,
61

P

Paderewski, Ignacy,
51

Palace Theatre, London,
131

Palmer, Bertha Honoré,
21
,
27
–8,
48
,
51
,
53
,
60
,
102
–3

Palmer, Phyllis,
170

Palmer, Potter,
12
,
19
–21,
27
–8,
39
,
51
–2,
59
,
70

Paris:
grands magasins
,
1
,
6
–7

Haussman redesigns,
20

siege of (1870–71),
25

HGS visits,
175
,
184

Paris Peace Conference (1919),
157

Parker, Dorothy,
162

Parker, Sir Gilbert,
165

Parliamentary Select Committee on Shop Hours (1886),
5

Parsons, Louella,
239

Partridge, Sir Bernard,
85
–6

Pascal, Jean-Louis,
76

Passing Show, The
(magazine),
242

Patou, Jean,
227

Pavlova, Anna,
103
,
109
,
233

perfumes,
111
–12

Pershing, General John Joseph (‘Black Jack’),
153

Peters (Selfridge’s superintendent),
225

Pick, Frank,
139

Pilcer, Harry,
132

Pilgrims’ Society,
173

Pirie, John,
29

Plugge, Captain Leonard,
195

Poiret, Paul,
102
–3,
161

Polignac, Count Pierre de,
184

Pontings (London store),
164

Port Lympne, Kent,
154

Porter, Cole,
243

Portland, William John Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of,
165

Portman Square: HGS moves to,
119
,
144

Potter ((bank employee of Jackson, Michigan),
15

Powell, Captain (racehorse trainer),
217
–18

Poynter, Charles,
55

Prada,
273
–4

Prendergast, Eugene,
54

Provincial Stores group,
208

Prudential Assurance Company: appoints representative to Selfridge’s Board,
238
,
255

Pulitzer, Joseph,
188

Pullman Company,
17
–18

Pullman, George,
12
,
17
,
39
,
43
,
51

Pullman model town,
43

Punch Bowl, The
(revue),
196

Putney: HGS moves to,
258

Q

Quality, John (grocery chain),
167

Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Institute for Nurses,
177

R

radio: beginnings,
179
–80,
185
,
195

Radio Rentals (
earlier
Rent-A-Radio),
180

Rainier, Prince of Monaco,
184

Rayner, Horace,
82

rayon,
162

Reader’s Digest
,
242

recorded music,
107
–8

Redfern (dressmakers),
101

Reform Club, London,
114

Reid, Sir William,
217

Reville & Rossiter (dressmakers),
101

Ribuffi, Mr (owner of Uncle’s club),
192

Richthofen, Manfred, Baron von,
148

Rigaud, John Francis,
166

Rigoletto Brothers (jugglers and gymnasts),
234

Rimmel, Eugene,
112

Ripon College, Wisconsin,
239

Robertson, John,
221
,
259

Robeson, Paul,
247

Robinson, Peter (London store),
93

Rocky Twins,
213

Rogers and Hart (songwriters),
243

Rogez, Marcelle,
239
–40,
243
–4,
247
,
250
,
253

Roosevelt, Theodore,
129

Ross, Oriel,
202

Rosy Rapture
(revue),
139
–41

Rotarians,
128

Rothen, Sir Charles,
193

Roxburghe, George Innes-Ker, 9th Duke and Mary, Duchess of (
née
Crewe-Milnes),
240

Rubinstein, Helena,
102
,
111
,
161

Runnin’ Wild
(musical show),
190

Ruscoe, William (fancy goods shop),
126

Russell, Lillian,
42
,
58

Russia: in First World War,
147
–8

HGS visits,
202

Russian National Progressive Party,
182
,
190

Rutland, Henry John Brinsley Manners, 8th Duke of,
196

Rutland, Marion Margaret Violet, Duchess of,
83
,
133
,
143
,
176
,
196

S

Sackville, Victoria, Lady,
82
,
137
,
141

Sackville-West, Vita,
82

Sadd, Sir Clarence,
167

Sandow, Eugen,
53

Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of,
234

Sarawak, Sylvia Brooke, Lady, Ranee of (
née
Brett),
181

Sassoon, Arthur,
78

Sassoon, Sir Philip,
154
,
240

Saturday Evening Post
,
65

Saturday Morning Post
,
242

Saville, Victor,
224

Scheuller, Eugene,
103

Schiaparelli, Elsa,
240
–41

Schlesinger & Mayer (Chicago store),
57
,
63

Schlesinger, Leopold,
63

Seagrave, Sir Alan,
217

Sears Roebuck (company), Chicago,
257

Second World War (1939–45): outbreak,
252
–4

Selfridge & Co. Ltd: formed (1908),
79

share offerings,
99
,
129
,
155
,
167

Gordon Selfridge Trust acquires shares,
213

Selfridge & Waring Ltd (company),
74

Selfridge, Beatrice (HGS-Rose’s daughter)

see
Sibour, Beatrice de

Selfridge, Charles Johnston (HGS’s brother),
13

Selfridge, Gordon Jr (HGS-Rose’s son): on father’s early work at Marshall Field’s,
30

birth,
58

upbringing and schooling,
96
–7,
129
,
146
,
172

affair and children,
171
,
250

career in Selfridge’s,
172

extravagant lifestyle,
214
,
236
,
245

as Managing Director of Provincial Stores Group, 214;

crashes airplane,
230

breach with father,
253

tour of USA (1939),
254

forced from Selfridge’s and moves to USA,
256
–7

Selfridge, Harry Gordon: achievements,
1
–2,
5
–6,
8
,
10

influenced by Marhsall Field,
7

decline to penury,
9
,
258
–60

extravagant lifestyle,
9
,
62
,
67
,
165
–6,
207
,
215
,
218
,
222

gambling,
9
,
16
,
169
,
173
,
175
–6,
184
,
203
,
214
,
223
,
250

birth,
13

relations with mother,
13
–14,
63
,
169
–70

childhood and upbringing,
14
–15

smart appearance and dress,
14
,
16
,
42
,
91

early employment in USA,
15
–16

poor eyesight,
16

short stature,
16
,
42

works for Marshall Field in advertising,
30
–31

belief in publicity,
32
,
35
,
58
,
84
–7,
136
,
163
,
172

introduces improvements to Marshall Field,
34
–5

emphasises service to customers,
35
–6

manner,
36

as retail general manager at Marshall Field,
39
,
42
,
53
–4

sent on business trip to Europe (1888),
40

made junior partner of Marshall Field,
42

engagement and marriage,
43
–4

religious affiliations,
44

loses first child,
46

children,
50
,
58

and visiting VIPs during 1893 World Fair,
53

relations with Isadora Duncan,
56

supervises Marshall Field’s rebuilding programme (1902–8),
59

disenchantment with Marshall Field,
60

portrait by Orpen,
61

personality,
62

buys Schlesinger & Mayer in Chicago,
63
–4

leaves Marshall Field,
64
,
66

opens Harry G. Selfridge & Co., Chicago,
65

retires from business,
66

investments,
67

meets Marshall Field in London,
68

mourns Marshall Field’s death,
70

decisiveness,
71

moves to London,
71
–3

rents and occupies Lansdowne House,
72
,
165
–6

builds Oxford Street store,
74
–5,
80
,
83
–4

partnership with Waring,
74

breach with Waring,
77
–8

research on London and inhabitants,
78
–9

relations with staff,
82
,
91
–2

relations with English press,
85

affair with Syrie Wellcome,
89
,
113
–15,
127
–8,
174
,
181

freemasonry,
89

working routine,
90
–93,
198
–9,
243

financial expenses,
94
–5

children’s upbringing,
96
–7

home and family life in London,
96
,
98

raises money through company’s share offering,
99

share ownership in company,
99

exhibits Blériot’s plane in store,
105
–6

relations with Pavlova,
109

supports company financially,
110

knowledge of perfumes,
111
–12

statistical research and understanding,
111
,
129
–30,
176

relations and affairs with women,
112
–15,
127
,
130
–31,
139
,
143
,
173
,
195
,
199
,
239

joins Reform Club,
114

social snobbery,
117
–18

injured in car crash,
118

insomnia,
118
,
169

sense of time,
118
–19

transatlantic trips,
119
,
151
,
239
–40,
249

theatre-going and fascination,
120
–21,
131

bronze bust,
126

expansion programme,
126

moodiness,
127

public and charitable activities,
128

wartime activities,
135
–6

visits Germany in war,
138
–9

depicted in Maugham’s
Our Betters
,
141
,
180
–81

moves family to Highcliffe Castle, Christchurch,
143
,
144
,
146
–7