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Things I Remember: An Autobiography

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Erte was a private man. Russian by birth but transplanted to Paris, he rose to prominence designing sets and costumes for operas and ballets, all the while submitting his designs for the cover of Harper's. Long, slender women graced the center of most of his works establishing a feminine style which became immensely popular in cinema and stage, changing among many other things the popular image of what a ballerina should look like--tight, thin, with a pin head. In Erte's case, this female figure was often topped with sweeping, feathered headresses.

From a young age, he knew his sexuality to which he alludes in brief but pointed ways. The death of his beloved, Nicolas, receives a scant paragraph though there is an amusing photograph of the two of them, Erte gazing at his beloved unmistakably aroused. Erte delights to recount his dressing as a woman to the opera in the company of several men--her appearance receiving appreciative mention in a paper reviewing the opera. Apparently, he looked good in the styles he designed! However, the majority of the text concerns his many projects and his quiet, private way of working. Not surprisingly, he found cats agreeable.