Domain: Cultural History and Genealogy/Biography (20th Century Intellectual and Artistic Circles)
Expert Persona: Top-Tier Senior Analyst in Cultural History
Abstract
This article chronicles the provenance of a begonia cutting received by Emma Freud, revealing it to be a biological clone of a plant nurtured by her great-grandfather, Sigmund Freud, in the 1930s. The heirloom serves as a catalyst for the author to investigate and reconcile with her family's complex and actively suppressed history, particularly the profound generational estrangement initiated by her father, Clement Freud. The narrative meticulously traces the plant's chain of custody through significant figures in the performing arts—including opera star Kirsten Flagstad, actress Sally Miles, casting director Corinne Rodriguez, and writer Tom Basden—uncovering interconnected biographical details, professional debts, and unconventional personal relationships, such as the founding of the Mermaid Theatre. This object-driven historical investigation contrasts the physical continuity of the begonia’s DNA with the emotional rupture in the Freud family line, ultimately providing the author with a tangible link to her intellectual heritage.
Summary
The Begonia as Biological Heirloom: The author received a cutting of a begonia that was genetically traced back through a chain of five recipients across nearly 100 years, establishing it as a clone of the plant owned by Sigmund Freud in the 1930s.
Clement Freud’s Legacy Repudiation: The author's father, Clement Freud, strictly avoided any connection to his grandfather, Sigmund. He had it written into a US chat show contract that he would not answer questions about Sigmund and misleadingly told his daughter that Sigmund had invented the flush toilet to discourage inquiry.
The Chain of Gratitude (Walsh & Rodriguez): The plant’s transmission reflected gratitude: it was given to the author by co-writer Tom Basden, who received it from his father-in-law, Barry Walsh, in thanks for a family holiday. Walsh had received his cutting from casting director Corinne Rodriguez as a gesture of thanks for their four decades of friendship, shortly before her death in 2008.
The Kirsten Flagstad Connection (1950s): Rodriguez’s plant originated from a cutting given by actress Sally Miles, who received it from her godmother, the renowned Wagnerian soprano Kirsten Flagstad, in the 1950s.
Founding of the Mermaid Theatre: Flagstad, whose career was impaired post-WWII due to her late husband’s suspected Nazi involvement, was given a performance opportunity in 1948 by Bernard Miles (Sally’s father). This collaboration led to the opening of the original Mermaid Theatre in 1951, starring Flagstad. Bernard Miles confessed to being deeply infatuated with Flagstad for years.
Unconventional Family Dynamics: Bernard Miles, with the consent of his wife Josephine (who was concurrently having an affair with novelist Noel Streatfeild), cemented Flagstad into the family by asking her to be Sally’s godmother, a role acknowledged by the begonia cutting.
Architectural Overlap: The author discovered that the architect for the original Mermaid Theatre, established in Bernard Miles’s garden, was her grandfather, Ernst Freud (Sigmund’s son), establishing an unexpected professional link between the two families.
Sigmund’s Horticultural Habit: Despite disliking music, Sigmund Freud had a history of plant gifting (e.g., a narcissus to Virginia Woolf in 1939). Upon fleeing Vienna in 1938, he brought a zimmerlinde plant, cuttings of which were later painted by his son, Lucian Freud.
Reconciliation via Lucian Freud: Seeking connection, the author contacted Lucian Freud’s assistant, David Dawson, and learned that Lucian, unlike Clement, was at ease with Sigmund’s legacy. Dawson provided a zimmerlinde cutting and shared the first known positive anecdote about Sigmund (involving chatting dentures).
Current Status and Symbolism: The author concluded her exploration by visiting the Freud Museum in Hampstead, where the source begonia still grows. The museum caretaker sells cuttings of the plant to fund operations, noting high demand. The author views the begonia as a physical object, rooted in a chain of kindness and friendship, which successfully overcame her inherited distance from her family’s past.