<P> In Edwardian London , Professor Henry Higgins ( Rex Harrison ) , a scholar of phonetics , believes that the accent and tone of one 's voice determines a person 's prospects in society . In Covent Garden one evening , he boasts to a new acquaintance , Colonel Hugh Pickering ( Wilfrid Hyde - White ) , himself an expert in phonetics , that he could teach any person to speak in a way that he could pass them off as a duke or duchess at an embassy ball . Higgins selects as an example a young flower seller , Eliza Doolittle ( Audrey Hepburn ) , who has a strong Cockney accent . Eliza 's ambition is to work in a flower shop , but her thick accent makes her unsuitable . Having come from India to meet Higgins , Pickering is invited to stay with the professor . The following morning , Eliza shows up at Higgins ' home , seeking lessons . Pickering is intrigued and offers to cover all expenses if the experiment should be successful . </P>
<P> In Edwardian London , Professor Henry Higgins ( Rex Harrison ) , a scholar of phonetics , believes that the accent and tone of one 's voice determines a person 's prospects in society . In Covent Garden one evening , he boasts to a new acquaintance , Colonel Hugh Pickering ( Wilfrid Hyde - White ) , himself an expert in phonetics , that he could teach any person to speak in a way that he could pass them off as a duke or duchess at an embassy ball . Higgins selects as an example a young flower seller , Eliza Doolittle ( Audrey Hepburn ) , who has a strong Cockney accent . Eliza 's ambition is to work in a flower shop , but her thick accent makes her unsuitable . Having come from India to meet Higgins , Pickering is invited to stay with the professor . The following morning , Eliza shows up at Higgins ' home , seeking lessons . Pickering is intrigued and offers to cover all expenses if the experiment should be successful . </P>
what era is my fair lady set in
what era is my fair lady set in
Edwardian
Edwardian