鐵娘子遺物遭英博物館拒收
Clothes, jewelry and political mementos owned by Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century and the country’s only female prime minister to date, are to be auctioned after the Victoria and Albert Museum in London turned down the chance to preserve her wardrobe for the nation.
瑪格麗特·撒切爾(Margaret Thatcher)是英國20世紀在位時間最長的首相，也是該國到目前爲止唯一的女首相。倫敦的維多利亞與艾伯特博物館(Victoria and Albert Museum)拒絕爲國家保存她的服裝，所以她的服裝、珠寶和政治紀念品將被拍賣。
The news prompted a firestorm of protest on social media and the airwaves, particularly from members of the Conservative Party, which Baroness Thatcher once led. “Shame the V&A has turned down Thatcher’s personal collection. I for one would have loved to see it!” Britain’s business secretary, Sajid Javid, said on Twitter. Conor Burns, another member of Parliament, denounced the snub on BBC radio, adding that the collection’s breakup would be a “tragedy” and that “her dresses embodied her and a period, and I hope they can be saved.”
這一消息在社交媒體和電視廣播上引發強烈抗議，主要來自撒切爾女男爵曾經領導的保守黨成員。英國商務大臣賽義德·賈維德(Sajid Javid)在Twitter上說，“維多利亞與艾伯特博物館拒絕收藏撒切爾的個人物品，真是可恥。我就很想去參觀她的藏品！”另一位國會成員康納·伯恩斯(Conor Burns)在BBC廣播中譴責該博物館的怠慢之舉，稱這些藏品的解體是“悲劇”，“她的服裝是她這個人和她那個時代的縮影，我希望它們能得到保存”。
The despair provoked wry amusement in some quarters. “Is it me, incidentally, or is there something slightly kinky about male Tory MPs who want Lady Thatcher’s clothes put on public display?” mused the historian Robert Harris on Twitter.
這種失望情緒在某些領域也引發嘲諷。歷史學家羅伯特·哈里斯(Robert Harris)在Twitter上說：“英國保守黨的男黨員們希望撒切爾夫人的服裝能夠公開展示，這讓我感覺怪怪的。只有我一個人這麼想嗎？”
However, even Dame Vivienne Westwood, the anarchic British fashion designer who mockingly dressed as the baroness for the cover of the society magazine Tatler in 1989, chimed in, adding that she thought that “Lady Thatcher has terrific taste and that it would have been lovely for the V&A to put her dresses on display.”
不過，甚至連肆無忌憚的無政府主義英國時裝設計師薇薇恩·韋斯特伍德夫人(Dame Vivienne Westwood)也加入討論，說她認爲“撒切爾夫人品味極佳，要是維多利亞與艾伯特博物館能展示她的服裝就好了”。1989年，韋斯特伍德曾嘲弄地打扮成撒切爾女男爵的樣子，登上社會雜誌《Tatler》的封面。
But the museum, like the former prime minister herself, was not for turning.
不過，維多利亞與艾伯特博物館和這位前首相一樣，是不會動搖的。
After Mrs. Thatcher died in 2013, her family offered items ranging from her blue velvet wedding dress and trademark handbags to signed copies of key speeches to the V&A, which has one of the largest fashion collections in the world. It recently has shown exhibitions devoted to Alexander McQueen, famous wedding dresses and the stage outfits of the rock star David Bowie.
2013年，撒切爾夫人去世後，她的家人向維多利亞與艾伯特博物館提出將她的很多物品交由該博物館保管，包括藍色天鵝絨結婚禮服、標誌性手袋和關鍵演講的署名文本。該博物館是世界上最大的服裝收藏機構之一，最近剛組織了亞歷山大·麥昆(Alexander McQueen)展、著名婚紗展以及搖滾明星大衛·鮑伊(David Bowie)的舞臺服裝展。
A museum spokeswoman said on Monday that the focus of its clothing collection was items of “outstanding aesthetic or technical quality” rather than those with “intrinsic social historical value,” so it had chosen not to accept the Thatcher collection.
週一（11月2日），該博物館的一位女發言人說，該博物館的服裝收藏重點是那些具有“傑出的審美或技術品質”的服裝，而非具有“內在社會歷史價值”的服裝，所以決定不接受撒切爾的服裝。
“The V&A has politely declined the offer of Baroness Thatcher’s clothes, feeling that these records of Britain’s political history were best suited to another collection,” she said.
這位女發言人補充說：“維多利亞與艾伯特博物館委婉地拒絕了撒切爾女男爵的服裝，認爲這些關於英國政治歷史的記錄更適合交由其他博物館收藏。”
As the furor continued, the museum clarified its statement on Tuesday: “Several years ago, a general discussion took place to explore whether some pieces from the wardrobe of Baroness Thatcher might be added to the V&A’s collection. These conversations did not develop. The V&A would like to make it clear that no formal offer was made for the museum to acquire the collection.”’
由於人們的憤怒繼續蔓延，週二（11月3日），該博物館對它的聲明進行了解釋：“幾年前，我們就是否應該把撒切爾女男爵的部分服裝加入我們的收藏進行了寬泛的討論。這些討論沒有繼續下去。維多利亞與艾伯特博物館想要說明這一點：我們從未收到希望我們購買這些藏品的正式要約。”
Mrs. Thatcher, who once summed up her style as “never flashy, just appropriate,” was renowned for her distinctive sartorial trademarks, from wool suits, pearls and pussy-bow blouses to boxy handbags and bouffant hair. Many saw the so-called “Iron Lady” as a pioneer of consistent power dressing and image manipulation as well as the first female leader of a major Western power.
撒切爾夫人曾把自己的着裝風格總結爲“從不奢華，得體而已”。她獨特的服飾標誌衆所周知，包括羊毛套裝、珍珠飾品、蝴蝶結襯衣、四方方的手袋和蓬鬆的頭髮。很多人認爲，這位“鐵娘子”是保持一貫權力着裝和形象控制方面的先驅，也是首位西方大國女領袖。
Christie’s, which has held several previous sales of Thatcher-related lots (including one in 2012 that featured a black leather handbag the former prime minister carried during a 1985 visit to the White House that sold for $38,500), was quick to take advantage of the news. On Tuesday, it announced that it would sell 350 of the Thatcher pieces one by one at an auction on Dec. 15 in London. The sale will take place 25 years after the departure of Baroness Thatcher from office, in the year that would have been her 90th birthday.
佳士得拍賣行(Christie’s)之前舉辦過幾場與撒切爾相關的拍賣會（拍品包括這位前首相1985年拜訪白宮時攜帶的黑色皮包，它在2012年拍出，價格爲3.85萬美元）。該拍賣行很快開始利用這一消息。週二（11月3日），它宣佈，將於12月15日在倫敦舉辦拍賣會，逐件拍賣撒切爾的350件物品。這場拍賣會是在撒切爾女男爵退位25年後舉辦的，今年也是她誕辰90週年。
