Laura Henderson
Encyclopedia
Laura Henderson rose to prominence in the 1930s when, as a wealthy and eccentric widow, she founded the Windmill Theatre
in London's Great Windmill Street
in partnership with Vivian van Damm
; they went on to turn it into a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of motionless female nudity and for having "never closed" during the Blitz.
Laura Henderson was the well-traveled wife of a wealthy jute
merchant and lost her only son in 1915 in France during the First World War. In 1931, she bought the Palais de Luxe building and hired architect Howard Jones to remodel the interior to a tiny, one-tier theatre. It was renamed the Windmill. It opened on 22 June 1931 as a playhouse
but it was not profitable, soon returning to showing films. She then hired Vivian Van Damm and they produced "Revudeville", a programme of continuous variety with 18 entertainment acts. This also was a commercial failure, so they added the dimension of nudity to emulate the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge
. The key element was Van Damm's exploitation of a legal loophole (or zone of tolerance) that nude statues could not be banned on moral grounds, and this led to the legendary "Windmill Girls" who appeared completely nude but stood completely still, so as to emulate nude statuary.
On her death in 1944, Laura Henderson bequeathed the Windmill to "My Dear Bop", Vivian Van Damm. In his 1952 autobiography he described her as "a great strain on one's nerves, patience and tact".
She was portrayed by Dame Judi Dench
in the 2005 film Mrs Henderson Presents.
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
in London's Great Windmill Street
Great Windmill Street
Great Windmill Street is a thoroughfare running north-south in Soho, London, England. It is dissected by Shaftesbury Avenue. The street took its name from the windmill on the site which was first recorded 1585 and was demolished during the 1690s...
in partnership with Vivian van Damm
Vivian Van Damm
Vivian van Damm was a prominent London theatre impresario from 1932 until 1960, managing the Windmill Theatre in London's Great Windmill Street, which was a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of motionless female nudity and for the myth of having 'never closed' during...
; they went on to turn it into a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of motionless female nudity and for having "never closed" during the Blitz.
Laura Henderson was the well-traveled wife of a wealthy jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
merchant and lost her only son in 1915 in France during the First World War. In 1931, she bought the Palais de Luxe building and hired architect Howard Jones to remodel the interior to a tiny, one-tier theatre. It was renamed the Windmill. It opened on 22 June 1931 as a playhouse
Playhouse
Playhouse is a common Elizabethan term for a theatre, especially those built in London such as The Globe and The Rose.It is also used as the name for theatres today:- Australia :* Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre...
but it was not profitable, soon returning to showing films. She then hired Vivian Van Damm and they produced "Revudeville", a programme of continuous variety with 18 entertainment acts. This also was a commercial failure, so they added the dimension of nudity to emulate the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
. The key element was Van Damm's exploitation of a legal loophole (or zone of tolerance) that nude statues could not be banned on moral grounds, and this led to the legendary "Windmill Girls" who appeared completely nude but stood completely still, so as to emulate nude statuary.
On her death in 1944, Laura Henderson bequeathed the Windmill to "My Dear Bop", Vivian Van Damm. In his 1952 autobiography he described her as "a great strain on one's nerves, patience and tact".
She was portrayed by Dame Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
in the 2005 film Mrs Henderson Presents.