This is an incredible, unique listing for the beautiful porcelain doll (or direct or remote bind) which serves as the vessel for the spirit of the stunning actress, Vivien Leigh. Vivien is most likely known for her portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.  Vivien was born Vivian Mary Hartley in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India in 1913, the daughter of Scottish and Indian/Armenian parents.  A stunning, gifted woman, however, all that seems perfect is rarely so, as is the story of Vivien Leigh.

Vivien was stricken by the acting bug early and spent at least 30 years acting, on stage and in films.  Often, because of her unique beauty, she was not taken seriously and therefore had to work harder and prove herself even more than those less talented and less attractive.  She dealt with it.

Married twice, most notably to Sir Laurence Olivier, both leaving their spouses to marry.  She was sometimes referred to as Vivien, Lady Olivier.  They were married for twenty years.  Prior to Olivier, she was married to Herbert Leigh Holman, from whom she acquired the name “Leigh”.  Suzanne Holman (Farrington) was Vivien’s only child.

Laurence Olivier felt there were two parts to Vivien (Bipolar). One was "my Vivien," the most beautiful woman on earth, yet without evident vanity; an enchanted being, joyful, kind, uncomplicated, generous, full of grace and taste and fun. She was a talented actress who worked twice as hard as anyone else; she was intelligent, and cultivated, at home in literature, art, and music. 

For there was another Vivien, a hellish-shrew who shrieked obscene abuse, who knew the most wounding things to say, who in her hysterical rages broke windows, ripped off her clothes, struck and slashed at those she loved. This Vivien was a woman sick in body and spirit who refused to confront illness, to spare herself the calamitous interaction of alcohol with drugs she took for tuberculosis she would scarcely acknowledge or treat.

Both Leigh and Olivier had been deprived of love as children.  His father was a poor vicar, aloof and alarming; his mother had died when he was a boy. Vivien’s father was a broker, a womanizer, and an amateur actor, and his wife was an Irish-Catholic beauty, manipulative and cool. Their only child loved her father, play-acting, books, her pretty clothes, her affectionate amah, but the mother put an end to it all by shipping the six-year-old to a convent in England. Thereafter Vivien saw her mother once a year, and her father every two.

Vivien was just 26 when she was cast in the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.  She was known for being “difficult,” and in a time when bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses, were unknown or unrecognized, it was misunderstood.  Additionally, she suffered from recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis, which was first diagnosed in the mid-1940s and ultimately led to her death at the age of 53 as she attempted to walk to the bathroom and, as her lungs filled with liquid, she collapsed and suffocated. 

Now at peace, beyond this realm, she has reconciled her wrongdoings, and also realizes, at last,  that much of her behavior was not her fault but due to mental illness, which today remains somewhat taboo, and was certainly not considered a health issue just as any other sickness.  Additionally, she becomes emotional regarding Tuberculosis and how, even now, it is an unresolved illness, and mental illness is spoken of discreetly, and with hesitance for many, which is horrible, IMO.  Vivien was always a vibrant, cheerful, loving person – to her friends and family.  She was highly misunderstood, due to her health.  She seeks a companion and will remain with them for the rest of their life.  She has many gifts and skills (clearly) and will happily share all she has and knows with her companion.  

The tangible vessel, if chosen, is a beautiful 18” porcelain doll dressed in a lovely frilly, pink dress with a matching hat.  The doll is in like new condition, except one pinky is missing (see photos).  *A direct bind or remote bind may also be chosen.*  If either is chosen, any shipping charges will be refunded.

Many blessings!