Sitter: Anne Emily, Duchess of Roxburghe, née Spencer-Churchill (1854-1923).

Biog: Mistress of the Robes and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria; 4th daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough; m (1874) James Henry Robert Innes-Kerr, 7th Duke of Roxburghe (1839-1892).

Date: 18 July 1898.

Image published in Cool, published by The Fan Museum, Greenwich

The Duchess of Roxburghe was photographed in an evening gown most probably to commemorate the recent marriage of her daughter, Lady Francis. According to The Ladies Field of 1903 in which another pose from this series was published, she “has been a notably hard-worked chaperon, as her pretty daughters go everywhere…”

Mistress of the Robes and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria, the Duchess was considered a Society Beauty and an example for Victorian mothers, Yet another pose from this session was published in vignette form in Chic and Madame in 1904.

The Duchess’s fan is made of black ostrich feather plumes, curled by her ladies’ maid. One of her tasks was to curl the barbs of the feathers over a steaming kettle before packing it away with a scented sachet in its own constructed satin-covered box. Up until 1920, these fans were usually furnished with a curl of feathers sewn onto the front guard, which could be removed to wear as a hair ornament. The illustration shows very clearly where the “hairpiece” has been attached to the guardstick.

The black and white ostrich feathers come from the male bird, the female having smoky browny grey plumes which were also used for fans. The fan illustrated below is made from female ostrich feathers, the guardstick bejewelled with turquoise and garnets.

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Location: The Lafayette studio, 179 New Bond Street, London, W.

Descr: Almost FL seated.

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Furniture & Props: Rococo-style painted backdrop; Louis XV style giltwood canapé; Louis XVI-style folding screen.

 Photographer: Lafayette Ltd., 179 New Bond Street, London, W.

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No of poses: 2 (see also neg no 1786A).

Copyright: V&A Provenance: Pinewood Studios; acquired 1989.

References:

Biog: Burkes' Peerage; Who's Who.

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Reproduced: (version) The Ladies Field, 27 June 1903, p 86; (H&S version) Chic, 21 May 1904, front page; (H&S version) Madame, 27 August 1904, p 412.

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