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Lot Essay
BAnnie-Laurie Aitken
Annie-Laurie Warmack was born in 1895 in Tennesse. After attending a finishing school in the east, she was presented at Court to King George V and Queen Mary and, in 1928, she married the distinguished oil pioneer George Washington Crawford. As Annie-Laurie Crawford, she was a noted ceramic sculptress whose works were shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their daughter Martha, nicknamed Sunny, was to marry Carl von Bülow.
An extraordinarily talented wingshot, she was twice runner-up for the Ladies' World Championship at pigeon shooting; the most difficult of all shotgun sports: once in 1959 in Seville and then the following year in Milan, where she lost against a former French champion, Mme. Pigeon.
In 1957, she married Russel Barnett Aitken, a writer and explorer, who also shared with her a passion for shooting. Their summer home in Newport, Champ Soleil, was based on a small chateau by Le Vau at Versailles and was furnished with their museum-quality collection of furniture as well as superb paintings and drawings.
Mrs. Aitken was a great philanthropist and humanitarian as well as an extensive benefactor of the art world. A beautiful and gracious hostess, she had a delightful sense of humour. The most charming tribute comes perhaps from the lips of Mrs. Douglas MacArthur, an old friend and regular guest. "Annie-Laurie," she said, "was one of the greatest ladies I have ever known - and in my time I've known quite a few."
Annie-Laurie Warmack was born in 1895 in Tennesse. After attending a finishing school in the east, she was presented at Court to King George V and Queen Mary and, in 1928, she married the distinguished oil pioneer George Washington Crawford. As Annie-Laurie Crawford, she was a noted ceramic sculptress whose works were shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their daughter Martha, nicknamed Sunny, was to marry Carl von Bülow.
An extraordinarily talented wingshot, she was twice runner-up for the Ladies' World Championship at pigeon shooting; the most difficult of all shotgun sports: once in 1959 in Seville and then the following year in Milan, where she lost against a former French champion, Mme. Pigeon.
In 1957, she married Russel Barnett Aitken, a writer and explorer, who also shared with her a passion for shooting. Their summer home in Newport, Champ Soleil, was based on a small chateau by Le Vau at Versailles and was furnished with their museum-quality collection of furniture as well as superb paintings and drawings.
Mrs. Aitken was a great philanthropist and humanitarian as well as an extensive benefactor of the art world. A beautiful and gracious hostess, she had a delightful sense of humour. The most charming tribute comes perhaps from the lips of Mrs. Douglas MacArthur, an old friend and regular guest. "Annie-Laurie," she said, "was one of the greatest ladies I have ever known - and in my time I've known quite a few."