Daily Sketch, January 26th 1919

Inquest into the death of Billie Carleton

The tragic case of Billie Carleton, actress and chorus girl, prompted an unprecidented outcry in the media at the end of WW1. The inquest heard how Billie had been dependent on cocaine and opium, supplied to her by a number of characters depicted as the underbelly of Edwardian society. In reality, Billie Carlton characterised the emerging independent woman who lived financially independent of the 'home'. Her death was more likely caused by the coctail of prescription barbiturates supplied to her by her doctor, however the ensuing media frenzy required its scapegoat, ideally located within her lifestyle of drug use.

THE LATE MISS BILLIE CARLETON - PART 1

The late Miss Billie Carleton - Part 1.

Title frame: The Late Miss Billie Carleton. CU of woman; head & shoulders; against all-black BG. Miss Carleton is an actress. Here we see her demonstrating a range of emotion; this is hilariously funny at moments. She talks; with eyes rolled upward; makes a facial expression which could be a smile or grimace. Next she suddenly has a sick; stricken look; clutching her heart a la melodrama; and speaking as she tilts her head back Now shot of Miss C. down to below hips; she is holding a black cat and squeezing it against her. Miss C. looks rapturous; the cat looks mad. Agony and ecstasy and love of pets; Miss C. can do it all. 
 

Museum Comment:
As the article to the left testifies, the end of WWI signaled a strong reaction from women whose experience of the war had been one of liberation from the home. The war had brought independence financially with many women taking up the work that had hitherto been the domain of men, including the munitions factory work powering the battles along the Western Front. The contrast between the men returning from the war scarred by the horrors they had witnessed and the sense of freedom enjoyed by many women was stark.

The inquiry into the death of Billie Carleton highlighted the shifting culture within Edwardian society reeling from the conflict it had endured in France. Billie was depicted as the Victorianesque waif, preyed upon by the evils of a modern culture capable of luring innocent white women to their deaths like moths round a candle. The moral panic fuelled by the British press seized upon the story of Billie's cocaine and opium use, her association with older men, such as Regianld De Veuille, who was accused of supplying her with drugs. The subtext to the press coverage suggested that there were inherent dangers facing women who strayed beyond the realms of the home.

The film footage to the left depicts London in the early part of the twentieth century. Shot in 1905, the scenes would have been very familiar to Billie Carleton who would have been a child at the time.