The Eleanor Thornton Myth

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Perhaps you have never heard of Eleanor Thornton. Yet you do know her! In fact you have seen her many, many times since 1911. Eleanor was personal assistant of John Scott Montagu, motoring pioneer, in 1902 founder of The Car Illustrated and friend of Charles Rolls. The Rolls-Royce board wanted a bonnet adornment that fitted the best car in the world. And so Johnson turned to Charles Sykes, a sculptor who had worked as resident artist for his magazine since 1903. Through her job Eleanor had met Sykes and because of her beauty became an inspiration for his artwork. The Whisperer is perhaps the most famous example of a Sykes figurine in bronze, which more than hints at the famous bonnet mascot to come. But is all this true? No-one knows. When Eleanor and Montagu travelled to India in 1915 at the height of the first world war, she died in an enemy torpedo attack on their ship. Sykes never spoke about Eleanor in the years between 1915 and his death in 1950. He may have confided in his daughter Josephine. But, when asked about Eleanor, her father and the Spirit of Ecstasy, Josephine is reported to have replied: “Eleanor was a lovely person. It is an interesting story and if it makes you happy, let the myth prevail.”

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