Catherine Ruth Baldwin (17 February 1905 – 31 August 1937) was an American-born English socialite, part of the

Bright Young Things __NOTOC__ The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a group of Bohemian young aristocrats and socialites in London during the Roaring Twenties. The name was given to them by the tabloid press. They threw flamboyant fancy dress part ...

crowd. She was the first important lover of American heiress

Joe Carstairs Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs (1 February 1900 – 18 December 1993) was a wealthy British power boat racer known for her speed, eccentric lifestyle, and gender nonconformity. In the 1920s, she was known as the ‘fastest woman on water’ ...

Biography

Catherine Ruth Baldwin was born on 17 February 1905 in England. In the 1920s in London, she was known for her use of heroin, cocaine and alcohol. It has been said that she turned the kitchen of the house where she lived with

into a bar. Carstairs' friends later said, "She was wild. She was such fun. Ruth was really ''wild''." She said to Carstairs, "The world is one's oyster if taken at will." Her circle of friends included painter

Edward Burra Edward John Burra CBE (29 March 1905 – 22 October 1976) was an English painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, best known for his depictions of the urban underworld, Black culture and the Harlem scene of the 1930s. Biography Early life Burra ...

and society portrait photographers Barbara Ker-Seymer and Olivia Wyndham, the last possibly her lover as well. When Carstairs purchased her first motorboat, Baldwin gave her a

Steiff Steiff is a German-based plush toy company, founded in 1880, with headquarters in Giengen, Germany. The company claims to have made the world's first factory-made teddy bear. History Steiff was founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, a seamst ...

doll; Carstairs named it ''Lord Tod Wadley''. She became exceptionally attached to this doll, keeping it with her until her death. She had clothes made for it in

Savile Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...

and had its name placed with her own on the name plaque on the door of her London apartment at 5 Mulberry Walk ("Marion Barbara Carstairs and Lord Tod Wadley").

Nina Hamnett Nina Hamnett (14 February 1890 – 16 December 1956) was a Welsh artist and writer, and an expert on sailors' Sea shanty, shanties, who became known as the Queen of Bohemia. Early life Hamnett was born in the small coastal town of Tenb ...

took a portrait of Baldwin in Paris. Baldwin died of a suspected overdose at a Chelsea party at the home of

Gwen Farrar Gwendoline "Gwen" Farrar (14 July 1897 – 25 December 1944) was an English duettist, cellist, singer, actress and comedian. Early life Gwendoline Farrar was born on 14 July 1897, at 108 Park Street, London. She was the third of six daughters of ...

on 31 August 1937, while her friends, among them Dolly Wilde, listened to a boxing match in the next room. A photograph of her appeared on ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' on 2 September 1937 announcing her death. She had short hair and a mannish tie, probably alluding to the fact she was lesbian; the article also said she was sharing a house with Carstairs. Carstairs crossed the Atlantic from Whale Cay aboard the French liner '' Normandie'', the most expensive ship in the world, and took Baldwin's ashes along with her to Whale Cay, where she built a church to house them. When she sold Whale Cay, she removed the ashes. When Carstairs died in

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...

, in 1993 at the age of 93, Lord Tod Wadley was cremated with her. Their ashes and those of Ruth Baldwin were buried in Oakland Cemetery in

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an Administrative divisions of New York#Village, incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns of Southampton, New York, Southampton and East Hampton (town) ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Ruth 1905 births 1937 deaths 20th-century English women English socialites English lesbians Drug-related deaths in England 20th-century English LGBTQ people American emigrants to the United Kingdom