Idle youth, enslaved to everything

Celestial Skies, Felix Courche, late 19th to early 20th century

1961 letter from Stuart Sutcliffe to his sister Pauline after he had left the Beatles and was living in Hamburg with Astrid.

In case it’s hard to read, the letter reads: ‘Also I’m waiting for my suit to be finished, black in beautiful material - with green lining - we were going to have red - too bright and too unsophisticated - blue - too cold - so green it is - four buttons single breasted - beautiful waistcoat with little tiny buttons etc. Trousers without turnups (naturally) without pockets, very tight hips and high like a Spanish bullfighter.

The one Astrid was making for me (she only managed to make the trousers because work proved too much) is corduroy very wide | | | | | | in fawn same style trousers, very beautiful, but the jacket’s different. Buttons all the way up the front and a collar like a vicar - very different.

Astrid isn’t well at the moment and also not talking to me as the result of my desire to play again.

The Flower of Pain, 1897, Edvard Munch