Penelope Tree is the only child of Marietta Peabody Tree, a U.S. socialite and political activist, and Ronald, a British journalist, investor and Conservative MP. She is the half-sister of racehorse trainer Jeremy Tree and author Frances FitzGerald, and she is a niece of former Massachusetts governor Endicott Peabody.
Life and career
Tree's family initially objected to her career as a model,[3] and when she was first photographed at age 13 by Diane Arbus, her father vowed to sue if the pictures were published.[4]
Tree made a striking appearance at the 1966 Black and White Ball thrown by author Truman Capote, wearing a black V-neck tunic with long slashes from the bottom making floating panels, worn over black tights.[5]
In 1967, Tree moved into Bailey's flat in London's Primrose Hill neighbourhood.[3] It became a social space for hippies during the "Swinging Sixties" who, Bailey recalled, would be "smoking joints I had paid for and calling me a capitalist pig!" In another famous quote, when John Lennon was asked to encapsulate Tree in three words, he replied, "Hot, Hot, Hot, Smart, Smart, Smart!"[8]
Tree has been extensively compared to The Beatles for inspiring the swinging 60's movement and for galvanizing a generation of young American females.[citation needed] Scars from late-onset acne ended her career[3] in the early 1970s: "I went from being sought-after to being shunned because nobody could bear to talk about the way I looked."[9] In 1972, she was arrested for possession of cocaine.[8][9] In 1974, Bailey and Tree split up and she moved to Sydney. She appeared in the British comedy film The Rutles in 1978.[10]
Penelope Tree is a patron of Lotus Outreach, a charity which works in Cambodia in partnership with local grassroots women's organisations to give girls from the very poorest families the wherewithal to go to school.[11]
In 1983, English indiepop band Felt released a song called "Penelope Tree", featuring a picture of her on the cover.[12]
In 2011, Tree appeared as an interviewee for a documentary on the life of fashion editor Diana Vreeland.[citation needed]
In 2017, she was interviewed for a documentary about Beaton called Love, Cecil.
In 2024, her first novel, Piece Of My Heart, was published by Moonflower.[13]
↑Davis, Deborah (February 1, 2006). Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball. John Wiley & Sons. p.195. ISBN978-0-470-09821-9.
↑Harrison, Martin; Bailey, David (August 16, 1999). Birth of the Cool: 1957-1969 (Firsted.). Viking Studio. p.273. ISBN978-0670888184.
12France, Louise (August 2, 2008). "People thought I was a freak. I kind of liked that". The Observer. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. When John Lennon was asked to describe her in three words he is said to have replied: 'Hot, hot, hot, smart, smart, smart!'
