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Lady Idina Hay at the Kenya Lido
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Lady Idina Hay at the Kenya Lido
Lady Idina Hay (nee Sackville), pictured in a sarong or kanga with two friends in Kenya during the 1920s, while she was married to Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll. On the left is the Countess N. de Graevenitz and on the right, Mrs. M. Roberts, both similarly attired. Five-times married Idina would gain notoriety as part of the Happy Valley Set when she moved to Kenya in 1924 with her third husband, Josslyn Hay, Earl of Errol. With her serial marriages and reputation for debauched decadence, she inspired the character of The Bolter in Nancy Mitfords novels, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, Evelyn Waughs Vile Bodies and the character Iris Storm in The Green Hat by Michael Arlen. Date: 1926
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Media ID 14126354
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Bolter Countess Idina Infamous Kenya Mischief Notorious Roberts Sackville Sarong Scandal 1926
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In this enchanting photograph from the 1920s, Lady Idina Sackville Hay (nee Idina Sackville), the future Earl's wife of Erroll, is captured in a moment of carefree joy at the Kenya Lido with two friends, Countess N. de Graevenitz and Mrs. M. Roberts. Dressed in traditional sarongs or kangas, the trio embodies the spirit of adventure and exoticism that defined the lives of the British expatriates in Kenya during this era. Lady Idina Hay's time in Kenya, spent with her third husband, Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll, would become the stuff of legend. The Happy Valley Set, a notorious group of wealthy and scandalous socialites, would make international headlines for their decadent lifestyles and numerous romantic entanglements. Idina, with her five marriages and reputation for debauchery, would become the inspiration for some of the most iconic characters in literary history. Nancy Mitford's novels, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, feature the character of The Bolter, based on Lady Idina Hay. Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies and Michael Arlen's The Green Hat also include characters inspired by her. Idina's scandalous exploits and infamous reputation would continue to captivate the public long after this photograph was taken, making her a figure of historical significance in the annals of British colonial society in Africa. Date: 1926. White, mischief, happy, valley, set, society, Africa, British, East, bolter, Lady Idina Hay, Sackville, sarong, kanga, Kenya, 1920s, Countess N. de Graevenitz, Mrs. M. Roberts, scandal, notorious, infamous, history, historical. (Rights Managed from Mary Evans Prints Online)
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