Pre 1897 thumbnails

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WARWICK, COUNTESS OF
Neg. No: GP (L) 1470c
Neg. Size: 15"x12"
Neg. Date: 20-07-1897

 

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Sitter: Frances Evelyn (Daisy), Countess of Warwick (1861-1938), née Maynard.

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Sketch published in The Queen, 10 July 1897

Countess of Warwick, right

Biog: Society beauty, socialist and philanthropist; eldest daughter and co-heiress of Col. Hon. Charles Henry Maynard, only son of 3rd and last Viscount Maynard; m (1881) 5th Earl of Warwick.

Role: Marie Antoinette.(1)

 

Date: 20 July 1897.

Occasion: The Devonshire House Ball, 2 July 1897.

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

Descr: TQL seated

Costume: "... bodice and paniers of pink and gold flowered brocade and gold lace studded with silver sequins and diamonds, the square-cut neck trimmed with old lace, and chiffon sleeves divided into small puffs with gold lace sparkling with jewels; diamond rivieres were festooned across the front of the bodice. The petticoat was of white satin draped with chiffon scarves edged with gold and sequin lace. The regal train of turquoise velvet was lined with the same and embroidered all over at equal distances with raised gold fleur-de-lis, and fastened on each of the shoulders with gold cord". (The Times, 3 July 1897, p 12a) (2)

Costume Supplier: (Probably) J.P. Worth, Paris.

Furniture & Props: Rococo-style painted backdrop; studio Louis XV-style carved wood and fabric mounted, folding screen; studio Louis XV style, giltwood fauteuil en cabriolet; studio Persian rug.

Photographer: The firm of J. Lafayette, 179 New Bond Street, London, W.

Evidence of photographer at work: Studio assistant, holding backdrop, partially visible to right of plate.

No of poses: 4 [ see also neg nos 1470A, 1470C & 1470D]

 

Copyright: V&A

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Provenance: Pinewood Studios; acquired 1989.  

References:

Biog: Burke's Peerage; Who's Who; The Times, 27 July 1938, p 16b. (See also, Earl of Warwick, Memories of Sixty Years, London, 1917; Frances, Countess of Warwick, Life's Ebb and Flow, London, DATE; Frances, Countess of Warwick, Afterthoughts, London, 1931; Theo Lang, My Darling Daisy, London, 1965; Margaret Blunden, The Countess of Warwick: A Biography, London, 1967).

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

Role and Costume: (Role only) Le Siècle, 4 July 1897; Le Temps, 4 July 1897; (Costume) The Chicago Tribune, 3 July 1897, p 3a; The Daily Chronicle, 3 July 1897, p 8a; The Daily News, 3 July 1897, p 5g; The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1897, p 10a; The Irish Times, 3 July 1897, p 8c; The Morning Post, 3 July 1897, p 7f; Pall Mall Gazette, 3 July 1897, p 7b; The Standard, 3 July 1897, p 4c; The Times, 3 July 1897, p 12a&d; The Lady, 8 July 1897, p 43c & p 46 (line drawing); Madame, 8 July 1897, p 69a; Truth, 8 July 1897, p 108a; Vanity Fair, 8 July 1897, p 26b 27a; The Court Circular, 10 July 1897, p 624b; The Court Journal, 10 July 1897, p 124b; The Queen, 10 July 1897, p 74 & p 76b (line drawing).

Costume Supplier: (Worth) Frances, Countess of Warwick, Afterthoughts, London, 1931, pp 161-162; (Mrs Mason) The Queen, 10 July 1897, p 74.

Reproduced: (Versions) Country Life, 18 September, 1897, frontispiece; The Gentlewoman, 26 February 1898, p 265 (illustration for publicity article re publication of Countess of Warwick's book: The Progress in Women's Education in the British Empire, London, 1898 ck); Devonshire House Fancy Dress Ball, July 2 1897: A Collection of Portraits in Costume of Some of the Guests, privately printed, 1899, p 184 (National Portrait Gallery Archives).

Acknowledgements: (Props) Lark Mason Jr., Sotheby's, New York.

1. Queen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793); m. (1770) King Louis XVI of France.

2. The Countess of Warwick had worn the costume before at her own costume ball, given at Warwick Castle, 1 February 1895. (See Frances, Countess of Warwick, Life's Ebb and Flow, London, DATE, pp. 89-92; Frances, Countess of Warwick, Afterthoughts, London, 1931, pp 161-162; The Queen, 2 February 1895, p 194a; Lady's Pictorial, 9 February 1895, p 185a; The Queen, 9 February 1895, p 238c; Vanity Fair, 7 February 1895, p 85; The Illustrated London News, 16 February 1895, p 214c).

 

For a contemporary article, giving instructions for a similar coiffure poudrée, see The Journal of Costumes, 1 January 1897, p 167b.