Portrait of Muriel King in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery by Aline Fruhauf-1939.
Letters between Muriel and Richard Blow suggest a deep, perhaps intimate, relationship. While she may not have been a classic Marilyn Monroe-style Fifties glamour girl, given her short-cropped hair and thin figure, she could hold her own in social circles with her wit, vivacity and bohemian attitude. And as a fashion designer for Hollywood stars like Katherine Hepburn and Rita Hayworth, she knew how to choose and wear her clothes ( some of her evening dresses are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art). . It’s no wonder the twice-divorced Blow found her a kindred soul.
Michael Schmicker