Laura Gascoigne

The enduring allure of ‘er indoors

Laing Art Gallery’s new exhibition The Enchanted Interior presents an aviary of caged birds, past and present

issue 19 October 2019

‘She’s only a bird in a gilded cage, a beautiful sight to see. You may think she’s happy and free from care; she’s not though she seems to be.’

When the British lyricist Arthur J. Lamb first offered the lyrics of ‘A Bird in a Gilded Cage’ to the Tin Pan Alley tunesmith Harry Von Tilzer, he was told to go back home and clean them up.

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