Doubles is a recurring point on Andy Warhol’s social map in the diary, appearing both as the setting for an inexpensive ladies’ lunch and as the venue for a party honoring George Hurrell. These glimpses make the place notable less for its physical surroundings than for the people and rituals gathered there: society guests compare tastes over lunch, while stars and the press participate in the performance of fame.

A Setting in the Social Circuit

The diary records Doubles on separate occasions in 1980. On September 16, Warhol went there with Bob Colacello for lunch with Jean Tailer and Pat Buckley before traveling to Philadelphia for Jamie Wyeth’s show. On December 2, Richard Weisman invited him to a party there for the Hollywood photographer George Hurrell. The two entries place Doubles in different parts of Warhol’s social life, moving from a daytime gathering of society women to an evening honoring a celebrated image-maker.

The Ladies’ Lunch

Warhol describes the September lunch as a ladies’ ritual: the guests could eat as much as they wanted and return to the buffet, but the food—smoked turkey and smoked ham—struck him as poor, and it left his throat sore. He found a telling contrast in the women’s spending habits: they invested in clothes but would not spend on good food. The meal’s cheapness and abundance sat alongside the company’s wealth and attention to dress, making lunch a small study in how status could be displayed, and economized, in different ways.

The conversation reinforced the social character of the occasion. Bob was, in Warhol’s account, the strongest gossip, while Pat Buckley described watching the television miniseries Shogun in bed with a tray, having friends call between installments. Her account of staying upstairs rather than joining George Bush, who was dining with her husband, gave the lunch its own view of elite social life: television and gossip competed with formal company for attention.

George Hurrell’s Party

At the December party, Warhol encountered the press ritual surrounding celebrity portraiture before meeting its guest of honor. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was leaving after standing in front of his photograph and having the press take his picture; he explained that this was enough for him to stay. The brief exchange makes the photograph itself part of the occasion, both a likeness on display and a prompt for another public image.

The gathering included Lillian Gish, Maureen Stapleton, and Tammy Grimes. Warhol had heard Paul Morrissey predict that Hurrell was about to die, but found him vigorous, strong, and straight. Hurrell knew who Warhol was, praised him, and warmly agreed when Warhol asked to take his picture. The contrast between the prediction and Hurrell’s evident vitality gives the encounter its turn, while Warhol’s request to photograph him reverses the usual direction of attention: the artist known for making portraits becomes the one asking for a picture.

Social Meaning

Across these two entries, Doubles accommodates both the casual repetition of lunch and the carefully staged visibility of a celebrity gathering. Warhol’s account of the lunch attends to food, cost, clothes, and gossip; his account of Hurrell’s party follows photographs, press attention, and recognition. Together, the scenes place the venue within a world where social standing is enacted through consumption and appearance, but is also observed with humor and a practical eye.