铁娘子遗物遭英博物馆拒收
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.
玛格丽特·撒切尔(Margaret Thatcher)是英国20世纪在位时间最长的首相，也是该国到目前为止唯一的女首相。伦敦的维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆(Victoria and Albert Museum)拒绝为国家保存她的服装，所以她的服装、珠宝和政治纪念品将被拍卖。
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.”
这一消息在社交媒体和电视广播上引发强烈抗议，主要来自撒切尔女男爵曾经领导的保守党成员。英国商务大臣赛义德·贾维德(Sajid Javid)在Twitter上说，“维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆拒绝收藏撒切尔的个人物品，真是可耻。我就很想去参观她的藏品！”另一位国会成员康纳·伯恩斯(Conor Burns)在BBC广播中谴责该博物馆的怠慢之举，称这些藏品的解体是“悲剧”，“她的服装是她这个人和她那个时代的缩影，我希望它们能得到保存”。
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.
这种失望情绪在某些领域也引发嘲讽。历史学家罗伯特·哈里斯(Robert Harris)在Twitter上说：“英国保守党的男党员们希望撒切尔夫人的服装能够公开展示，这让我感觉怪怪的。只有我一个人这么想吗？”
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.”
不过，甚至连肆无忌惮的无政府主义英国时装设计师薇薇恩·韦斯特伍德夫人(Dame Vivienne Westwood)也加入讨论，说她认为“撒切尔夫人品味极佳，要是维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆能展示她的服装就好了”。1989年，韦斯特伍德曾嘲弄地打扮成撒切尔女男爵的样子，登上社会杂志《Tatler》的封面。
But the museum, like the former prime minister herself, was not for turning.
不过，维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆和这位前首相一样，是不会动摇的。
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，撒切尔夫人去世后，她的家人向维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆提出将她的很多物品交由该博物馆保管，包括蓝色天鹅绒结婚礼服、标志性手袋和关键演讲的署名文本。该博物馆是世界上最大的服装收藏机构之一，最近刚组织了亚历山大·麦昆(Alexander McQueen)展、著名婚纱展以及摇滚明星大卫·鲍伊(David Bowie)的舞台服装展。
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.
周一（11月2日），该博物馆的一位女发言人说，该博物馆的服装收藏重点是那些具有“杰出的审美或技术品质”的服装，而非具有“内在社会历史价值”的服装，所以决定不接受撒切尔的服装。
“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.
这位女发言人补充说：“维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆委婉地拒绝了撒切尔女男爵的服装，认为这些关于英国政治历史的记录更适合交由其他博物馆收藏。”
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.”’
由于人们的愤怒继续蔓延，周二（11月3日），该博物馆对它的声明进行了解释：“几年前，我们就是否应该把撒切尔女男爵的部分服装加入我们的收藏进行了宽泛的讨论。这些讨论没有继续下去。维多利亚与艾伯特博物馆想要说明这一点：我们从未收到希望我们购买这些藏品的正式要约。”
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.
撒切尔夫人曾把自己的着装风格总结为“从不奢华，得体而已”。她独特的服饰标志众所周知，包括羊毛套装、珍珠饰品、蝴蝶结衬衣、四方方的手袋和蓬松的头发。很多人认为，这位“铁娘子”是保持一贯权力着装和形象控制方面的先驱，也是首位西方大国女领袖。
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.
佳士得拍卖行(Christie’s)之前举办过几场与撒切尔相关的拍卖会（拍品包括这位前首相1985年拜访白宫时携带的黑色皮包，它在2012年拍出，价格为3.85万美元）。该拍卖行很快开始利用这一消息。周二（11月3日），它宣布，将于12月15日在伦敦举办拍卖会，逐件拍卖撒切尔的350件物品。这场拍卖会是在撒切尔女男爵退位25年后举办的，今年也是她诞辰90周年。
