Drusilla Beyfus
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Drusilla Beyfus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 March 1927 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 26 February 2026 (aged 98) London, England |
| Occupation | Etiquette writer |
| Employers | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Alexandra Shulman Nicola Shulman Jason Shulman |
| Parents |
|
Drusilla Norman Beyfus (later Shulman; 1 March 1927 – 26 February 2026) was an English journalist and etiquette writer who was best known for her books on modern modes and manners.[2]
Beyfus was born in Hampstead, London, England on 1 March 1927.[3] She was educated at a private boarding school then attended finishing school as a young woman.[4]
Beyfus met the journalist, war historian and theatre critic Milton Shulman in 1951. After a long courtship, interrupted by her sojourn in America as an author and freelance writer, they married at Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, on 6 June 1956. They had three children, who grew up in Belgravia in Greater London:[5][6][2]
- Alexandra Shulman (born 1957), a journalist and the editor of British Vogue.[6]
- Nicola Shulman (born 1960), a model, biographer and the wife of Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby.[7][8]
- Jason Shulman (born 1963), a photographer, sculptor and magazine art director.[9]
Beyfus was widowed in 2004.[10] She died at home in London, on 26 February 2026, at the age of 98, 3 days before her 99th birthday.[11][12]
Career
After leaving finishing school, Beyfus began her writing career writing women's columns at the Reading Mercury and the Berkshire Chronicle.[4] As a young journalist, 19 year old Beyfus was sent to Berlin in 1948 by the Daily Express to cover the Berlin blockade.[2][13] In the 1960s, she contributed a chapter to Len Deighton's London Dossier, a guide book to modern London.[14] She was later a features editor at Vogue.[15]
As an etiquette writer,[16] Beyfus contributed to over 60 different magazines and published books on the topics of modes and manners.[5] Her books were issued and reissued in multiple editions from 1956 to 1996, showing how what was considered good manners and proper behavior changed over the decades and generaions. [2]
Beyfus was also once a senior tutor at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design.[15][17]
