Following on from yesterday's topic, The Blue Plaque, and thinking about possible catchy blog titles, I saw a theme developing - could it even be one of the requested 'categories'? Brenda has been honoured by being mounted on walls in various places and for different reasons... here's a few examples.
Publicity, of course, is a major reason for Brenda's image being spread abroad (ie, put everywhere - check your Cornish dialect) - often larger than life, as if that were necessary. As her fame spread in France and with concert tours looming, her agent took to having huge photo posters spread around Paris - literally wall-to-wall - in subways, on billboards, on the Paris metro and on the huge, characteristically French, bollards. (Did you know that in France those "colonne de publicité" are known as Morris columns - or "colonne Morris" - after Gabriel Morris who won the advertising contract for them in Paris? I didn't.) And Brenda's cousin Barbara was thrilled to stumble upon Brenda literally plastered all over the Metro subways. Proof:
We still have a handful of these gigantic posters - too precious to throw away, but getting a bit dog-eared now and too big to display anywhere really, which is a bit sad.
A new example of Brenda elevated extra-murally (as my daft husband would say) came to my attention a couple of years ago... it appears that in Brest - a Breton town where Brenda often appeared - a street has been named in her honour: Rue Brenda Wootton. I was astonished - and there on Google street-maps was the clear evidence; it reads 'Rue Brenda Wootton, Chanteuse, Compositrice, 1928-1994'. Having not visited Brest since, I'd be delighted if someone could take a photo for me in the flesh, as it were. Actually, not sure if this fits into my 'Brenda on Walls' category, as she's elevated on posts - but let's not get picky. The street itself is a non-descript residential new build - but none-the-less the honour is duly appreciated. Do send me evidence if you're in the vicinity!
By the way - 'chanteuse' is a singer, and a 'compositrice' is a female musical composer... not sure I'd have used that term. Brenda wrote the lyrics for a handful of songs, but never the music - but thank you Brest, for the compliment.
