Normally I reserve the "Unexpected Guests" category for random likenesses that show up when I'm sketching. I've never been particularly fond of Dr. Who and when he shows up in another knitter's blog or one of my google searches about knitting I normally <yawn> skip right over it.
While scrolling through Smariek's blog links of patterns I caught the phrase "And I'd like to avoid pulling an Isadora Duncan..." in her Dr. Who Scarf post. I clicked the link. Oh right, I know how this story ends: long scarf + open-wheel sportscar = death (broken neck)! The reason I know the story is because my father would mention it annecdotally every time I was working on or wearing a scarf. Way to be supportive, Dad.
There is, as with any story, more to be told.
First, about scarf length. It is difficult to determine how long the fatal scarf actually was. Accounts refer to her scarves as "long and flowing," "long enough to trail behind her" and "long enough to wrap around her body and out the side of the car." I don't find a good reference but there are photos of her dancing with a scarf extended at least a foot past the end of each arm. Isadora herself was 5'6." If she had an average ape index her arm span would've been pretty close to her height Let's say 5'5". My own measurements are 5'5" with a 5'4" wing span so the estimate for seems plausable. Being generous with the excess length at the end of each arm brings the scarf length estimate to 9.5 feet.
- Dr. Who (which one and which scarf): 15 feet
- Isadora Duncan's silk scarf (estimated): 9.5 feet
- Modern long scarf length: 7 feet
Next, how it was possible for tragic scarf had to cover to get tangled in the wheel. If we presume the scarf is wrapped once around the neck and folded in half the free end of the scarf is (FullLength - NeckCircumfrence)/2.
Whether the car was a Bugatti (top) or an Amilcar (bottom) isn't really important. Both made racing cars with a low open cockpit rather close to the rear axel. Not good news for anyone wearing a scarf.
- Free end of Dr Who's scarf: 6.8 feet
- Free end of Isadora's scarf: 4 feet
- Free end of Modern scarf: 2.8 feet
- Period automobile wheel-to-seat-back distance: 1.5-2 feet
The circumstances of Isadora Duncan's death overshadow her accomplishments as a dancer. The the cautionary tale of Isadora's scarves sticks with us from 1927 not her role as an inventor of modern dance.
Happening upon the Dr Who scarf post caused me to ask "Who was Isadora Duncan?" and getting that answered invites additional questions. Is the retelling of her death as a cautionary tale really about the strange accident or does it have more to do with her extravagant lifestyle? Duncan was publicly bi-sexual and comunist. Were people able to be more out about either gender or politics between World War I & II than they are now? Why do we associate her with scarves and not Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo or Jackie Kennedy?