Women We Love . Mary Carlson
Women We Love is a chance for us to interrogate sit down with the women in our lives whose style we love, work we admire, and heart we adore. We give them the celebrated Proust Questionnaire—which dates back to 19th-century Parisian salons—and throw in a few of our own. Grab a coffee, something to take notes with, and get to know the women we love as they ponder love, death, and the meaning of life.
Without further ado, Mary Carlson.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST MARKED CHARACTERISTIC? What is your most marked characteristic? Warm introductions.
WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOUR MOST DEPLORE IN YOURSELF? An optimistic sense of time, which means I have a tendency to be 10 minutes late—like clockwork.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION? My grandmother’s fur coat and black South Sea pearl earrings from my cousin’s jewelry company Pierre & Harry.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VIRTUE? Cleanliness.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR? Walk in freezers.
WHICH QUALITY DO YOU MOST DESIRE IN A MAN AND WOMAN? Kindness and humor.
WHICH QUALITY DO YOU MOST DESIRE IN A PAIR OF JEANS? Waist to hip ratio.
herringbone tweed suit F.E. Castleberry sunglasses vintage Pucci fair isle sweater vest Drake’s velvet smoking slippers F.E. Castleberry silk scarf arm sling Céline brooch vintage Dior
WHICH HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH? Strong queens have always been my favorite to read about—Cleopatra, Eleanor Plantagenet, Elizabeth I, though my life is not nearly as complicated.
WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU HAPPIEST? Learning to surf in the Caribbean.
WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS THE LOWEST DEPTH OF MISERY? Isolation.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE? Fromage.
IN WHICH SEASON DO YOU FEEL MOST BEAUTIFUL? Summer.
WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE The flat, duck-like foot steps I leave in wet sand.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would add arches to my feet.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR FAMILY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would make them easier to assemble.
WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? My mother.
WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS? Humor and a sense of adventure.
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON THAT GAVE YOU FLOWERS? My boyfriend…just because.
WHICH TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE? The aptitude to play musical instruments, especially the cello.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OCCUPATION? Supporting living artists.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT? Co-founding UGArden, a campus community garden at the University of Georgia.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE WRITERS? Autobiographers.
WHICH WORDS OR PHRASES DO YOU MOST OVERUSE? "Hashtag."
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL HERO? Hermione Jean Granger.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE HERO IN REAL LIFE? At the moment, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? “Nevertheless, she persisted.”
Mary Carlson works in Development at the New Museum and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to the museum, Carlson gained five years of gallery experience in both the primary and secondary art markets working for Dickinson Roundell, Inc. as well as Blum & Poe.