Lord Charles (William Augustus) Montagu (1860-1939); 2nd son of 7th Duke of Manchester;⁽¹⁾ soldier and partner of Montagu, Stanley & Co., stockbrokers.

Mildred Cecilia Harriet, Viscountess Chelsea, later Lady Charles Montagu (1869-1942), née Sturt; 3rd daughter of 1st Baron Alington, m. 1stly (1892) Henry Arthur, Viscount Chelsea; m. 2ndly (1910) Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Hedworth Meux; m. 3rdly (1930) Lord Charles Montagu.

Role: (Lord Charles Montagu) King Charles I.⁽²⁾ (Lady Chelsea) Italian flower-girl.

Date: 2 July 1897.

Occasion: The Devonshire House Ball, 2 July 1897.

Location: Devonshire House, Piccadilly, London, W.

Descr: FL standing.

Costume: (Lord Charles Montagu) "... dress of Charles I, as seen in the picture by Van Dyck. White satin coat and red velvet breeches, cavalier boots, cloth-of-gold baldrick, the ribbon of the Garter, a white hat and plume, and high suede gloves." (The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1897, p 9g); (Lady Chelsea) "...Robe of velvet, rose tendre et Dalmatique robe de chine, lined white silk underdress of silver tissue. The whole dress is trimmed with very old gold lace studded with rose pearls, turquoises, pearls, and silver. Cordeliere and couture entirely of white pearls." (The Echo, 3 July 1897, p 2g).

Costume Supplier: (Lord Charles Montagu & Lady Chelsea) M. Alias, 36 Soho Square, London W.

Orders, Decorations and Medals: (Lord Charles Montagu) Sash and Badge of the Order of the Garter.

Furniture & Props: Backdrop, painted to suggest the garden statuary at Devonshire House; studio Persian rug 

Evidence of photographer at work: Part of the photographer's tent and backdrop holder visible above backdrop; portable reflector screen visible to left of plate.⁽³⁾

No of poses: 1 [but see also neg nos 1412 & 1433].

Copyright: V&A

All images on this site are copyright V&A. For further information on using or requesting copies of any images
please contact the V&A Picture Library: vaimages@vam.ac.uk including the URL of the relevant page

Biog: (Lord Charles Montagu) Burke's Peerage; Who's Who; (Lady Chelsea when Lady Charles Montagu) The Times, 18 September 1942, p 7d.

Role: Devonshire House Fancy Dress Ball, July 2 1897: A Collection of Portraits in Costume of Some of the Guests, privately printed, 1899, p 221, (National Portrait Gallery Archives). For Lady Chelsea, see also: (Venditrice di Fiori - Venetian procession) The Morning Post, 3 July 1897, p 7e; The Times, 3 July 1897, p 12a; (Veronese Lady) The Daily News, 3 July 1897, p 5g; The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1897, p 10c; (Veronese lady of XIV century) The Echo, 3 July 1897, p 2g; The Standard, 3 July 1897, p 4b; The Gentlewoman, 10 July 1897, p 56c; The Sketch, 14 July 1897, p 486.

Occasion: Sophia Murphy, The Duchess of Devonshire's Ball, London, 1984.

Costume: (Lord Charles Montagu) The Daily Graphic, 3 July 1897, p 10 [illustration], p 13a; The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1897, p 9g; Truth, 8 July 1897, p 108b; The Gentlewoman, 10 July 1897, p 48 [illustration] & 57c; The Sketch, 14 July 1897, p 486; The Times, 3 July 1897, p 12d. (Lady Chelsea) The Echo, 3 July 1897, p 2g; The Standard, 3 July 1897, p 4b; The Gentlewoman, 10 July 1897, p 56c.

Costume Supplier: (Lord Charles Montagu) The Daily Graphic, 3 July 1989, p 13a; The Gentlewoman, 10 July 1897, p 57c). (Lady Chelsea) The Echo, 3 July 1897, p 2g.

Orders, Decorations and Medals: -

Photography: The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1897, p 9f; Black & White, 10 July 1897, p 38b.

Reproduced: The Sketch, 14 July 1897, p 486; Devonshire House Fancy Dress Ball, July 2 1897: A Collection of Portraits in Costume of Some of the Guests, privately printed, 1899, p 221 (National Portrait Gallery Archives).

1. The mother of Lord Charles Montagu was Louisa, Duchess of Devonshire, née Countess von Alten (hostess of the ball) who married 1stly (1852) 7th Duke of Manchester and 2ndly (1892) 8th Duke of Devonshire.

2. Lord Charles Montagu's costume based on that seen in the portrait called Charles I, King of England, Hunting, c. 1635 by Antony Van Dyck, Louvre, Paris. [See: Lawrence Gowing, Paintings in the Louvre, London, 1987.]

3. Paper on the negative bears the note: "1 Cab...Red, Black & Sepia Carbon (3 in all) small prints."