Natalia Danesi Murray’s house was located in the west end of Cherry Grove on Bay Walk across from Audrey Hartmann’s house.

Murray was a regular in a circle of professionally successful lesbians in Cherry Grove that formed in the late 1930s. Murray was famous as both an Italian radio broadcaster during WWII and as an editor for the Italian publishing house, Rizzoli, after the war.

Standing in front of Natalia’s house are Kay Guiness, left and Janet Flanner, right. The beautiful and wealthy Kay Guiness’ legendary presence in the Grove has been well-documented. Kay lived in Manhattan on Park Ave during the winters with her husband and spent her summers in Cherry Grove.

Janet Flanner was a journalist and author who served as the Paris correspondent under THE pen name “Genêt” (a/k/a Genet) from 1925-1975 of "The New Yorker" magazine. Janet and her "companion" Natalia Danesi Murray, a book editor and an executive in publishing, met in Cherry Grove in 1940 and together spent many summers there.

Murray and Flanner were longtime lovers. Murray edited the book "Darlinghissima: Letters to a Friend" by Janet Flanner which consisted of a collection of letters from Flanner to Murray that documented their relationship from 1940 until Flanner's death in 1978.

Natalia Murray’s son, William Murray, published a book in 2000 titled "Janet, My Mother and Me, A Memoir of Growing Up with Janet Flanner and Natalia Danesi Murray."

Thanks to Jan Felshin and Edrie Ferdun for donating their copy of William Murray’s book, plus their correspondence with Janet Flanner and Natalia Danesi Murray.

Thanks to Gay Nathan and Julie Paradise for their fabulous photo album.