Lady georgiana spencer was the greatgreatgreatgreataunt of diana, princess of wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. Mourning ring for georgiana, duchess of devonshire 17571806. A biography of georgiana was the number one best selling book of 1999. Elizabeth christiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire may 1758 30 march 1824 was an english novelist and aristocrat. Duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman, page 1 of 6. Its construction took place sometime between 1785 and 1787. Of noble birth from the spencer family, married into the cavendish family, she was the first wife of william cavendish, 5th duke of devonshire, and the mother of the 6th duke of. In 1774 georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying william cavendish, fifth duke of devonshire, one of englands richest and most influential aristocrats. The two famous women of the late 18th knew each other well and became close friends when georgiana went to paris and stayed with the queen at. Keira knightley and ralph fiennes star in a tale of a. It chronicled her husbands affair with her best friend and the two illegitimate children born of that affair. I am very interested in history and in my research, i found it interesting that georgiana cavendish the duchess of devonshire was an alcoholic and substance abuser. Except for the cover depicting keira knightley as georgiana, duchess of devonshire, it is essentially the same book.
Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire wikimedia commons. Extract from the book georgiana, duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman. Georgiana duchess devonshire by foreman abebooks passion for books. She is best known as lady elizabeth foster, the close friend of georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire. Fashion advice from the duchess of devonshire fashion. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire national gallery of art. Launched into a world of wealth and power, she quickly became the queen of fashionable society, adored by the prince of wales, a dear friend of marieantoinette, and leader of the most important salon of her time.
Georgiana cavendish nee spencer duchess of devonshire 1757. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title duchess of devonshire. Etsy has thousands of handcrafted and vintage products that perfectly fit what youre searching for. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire orlando project. She married in june 1774 the fifth duke of devonshire, who was regarded as the first match in england, and his wife became the reigning queen of society. Georgiana lay in an airless, shuttered room in a house near montpellier, waiting to give birth. Media in category georgiana, duchess of devonshire gainsborough the following 6 files are in this category, out of 6 total. Portrait, wholelength, of georgiana duchess of devonshire standing in a wooded landscape. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire wikividi documentary duration. The greatgreatgreatgreat aunt of diana, princess of wales, she was variously a compulsive gambler, a political savante and operator of the highest order, a drug addict, an adulteress and the darling of the common people. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman waterstones. An occasional or amateur author during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire, wrote in a number of genres. Educated as an undergraduate at sarah lawrence college and with masters and doctorate degrees in history from oxford university, she is now married with five children and lives in new york. Georgiana duchess of devonshire treasure houses of england.
Sitter in 29 portraits georgiana spencer became a leader of whig society. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire was one of the most flamboyant and influential women of the eighteenth century. Amanda foreman is a visiting research fellow at queen mary, university of london. Nonetheless, his devonshire house, in londons west end, became the heart of political activism for the whigs. Georgiana, the duchess of devonshire, was a complicated lady. Born in england at althrop house, the spencer family home, in an age when women were often ornamental pawns in family power plays, georgiana rose above what was expected of her and made history by following her heart and desires. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshires mourning ring. I have two copies of this book, which i bought thinking they were separate books that one of them was a historical fiction version while the other was a biography.
Portrait of georgiana, duchess of devonshire is a painting by the english painter thomas gainsborough of the political hostess georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire. Some women to have held the title duchess of devonshire, as wives of the duke of devonshire, include. She was politically active, a progressive thinker, had an atrocious gambling habit that kept her perpetually in debt and suffered from an unfortunate, sometimes unhappy, marriage. Thomas gainsborough artist british, 1727 1788 georgiana, duchess of devonshire 1783 oil on canvas overall. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire 17571806. Elizabeth cavendish, duchess of devonshire 17591824, second wife of the fifth duke. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire 7 june 1757 30 march 1806, born georgiana spencer, was the first wife of william cavendish, 5th duke of devonshire and mother of william george spencer cavendish, 6th duke of devonshire. Sharing with schiff a deft hand at description, foreman brings 18thcentury britain to life as she traces the lush story of georgiana spencer. Jul 07, 2011 what drugs did the duchess of devonshire take. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Apr 30, 2012 fashion advice from the duchess of devonshire debo has sartorial wisdom to share however old you are. Published by harpercollins in the uk and random house in the us, the book was an international bestseller and reached number one in the uk as a hardback, paperback. Sweeping and scandalous, rich and compellingly readable, here is the first biography of lady harriet spencer, ancestor of diana, princess of wales, and devoted sister. Excerpts from the book georgiana, duchess of devonshire.
Family correspondence of and relating to georgiana, duchess of devonshire and elizabeth, duchess of devonshire. Her father, john spencer, 1st earl spencer, was a greatgrandson of john churchill, 1st duke of marlborough. Georgiana duchess of devonshire houses with history. Aug 04, 2008 georgiana, duchess of devonshire, is the biography of a most unusual woman. Duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman, paperback. May 23, 2012 georgiana, duchess of devonshire will be remembered for her beauty and loyalty to family, but most importantly her willingness to break with past traditions and live her life to the fullest. Duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman, plus links to a book excerpt from georgiana. Duchess of devonshire and author biography of amanda foreman. Discover all the extraordinary items our community of craftspeople have to offer and find the perfect gift for your loved one or yourself.
Georgiana spencer was, in a sense, an 18thcentury it girl. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire, is the biography of a most unusual woman. Links to pubmed are also available for selected references. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire was an english socialite, political organizer. Georgiana spencer cavendish, duchess of devonshire, was born in the eighteenth century and died in the early nineteenth century, but her life was very modern in many ways. Duchess of devonshire, which was adapted for the screen as the duchess.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire 17571806, first wife of the fifth duke. Fashion advice from the duchess of devonshire fashion the. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire 7 june 1757 30 march 1806, was a leading member of late georgian society, famous for her extrovert personality, her extravagant fashions and her championing of the whigs led by charles james fox. Georgiana duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman abebooks. Portrait of georgiana, duchess of devonshire thomas. After completing her dphil, foreman remained at oxford as a researcher, and in 1998 she published her first book, georgiana, duchess of devonshire, based on her doctoral thesis. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 621k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Amanda foreman does a good job of finding a balance between excessive praise of the duchess and berating her too harshly for her faults. I am very antihype, and this book had major, major hype built right in, so it was quite a shock to me when it eventually ended on my tbr pile.
In 1774, at the age of 17, georgiana was married to the fabulously wealthy william cavendish, 5th duke of devonshire 1748 1811. Georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire nee spencer. Georgiana duchess of devonshire living language series. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire, and princess diana. Jan 26, 2015 the new duchess of devonshire soon found herself surrounded by politics and the political ambitious, with her inscrutable husbands main enjoyment being spending time with his dogs, wooing his mistresses, and drinking with his friends. Elizabeth cavendish, duchess of devonshire wikipedia. Keira knightley and ralph fiennes star in a tale of a duchess. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Catherine cavendish, duchess of devonshire 17001777, wife of the third duke. Thats not to say that there were equal rights between men and women, when georgiana took a lover herself, that was not tolerated and the child she had with charles grey had. Gold ring, hoop enamelled in black with central hinged rectangular reserve, set with bloodstone carved with ducal coronet above gothic gd monogram and inscription, ob.
Georgiana, duchess of devonshire by foreman, amanda and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Portrait of georgiana, duchess of devonshire is a portrait painting by the english painter thomas gainsborough of the political hostess georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire. Debo describes her motherinlaw, the duchess of devonshire, and her friend, the. The winner of britains prestigious whitbread prize and a bestseller t. Basically i will say that if textbooks were written like this, i would have paid way more attention in school. Engraving by robert graves after thomas gainsborough, 1870 museum number 27257. Jun 27, 2017 posts about georgiana duchess of devonshire written by cheryl bolen. During her years in the public eye, georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire was painted several times by both thomas gainsborough and joshua reynolds. Jul 22, 2018 georgiana cavendish, duchess of devonshire wikividi documentary duration. Much of her work remains unpublished and her canon, both in prose and poetry, is far from certain. Georgiana duchess of devonshire cheryl bolens regency. Married to one of the richest peers in england when she was seventeen, the beautiful georgiana, duchess of devonshire, came to symbolize the georgian age with all of its glittering decadence.
Based on a true story, as they say in the movies, the tale traces the cosseted, tightly corseted late18thcentury life of georgiana spencer, the duchess of. The book is a biography of duchess of devonshire georgiana spencer, examining her social and political life in 18th century. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire, was born georgiana spencer, the eldest daughter of john spencer, 1st earl spencer 1734 1783 and margaret poyntz 17371814. Georgiana, duchess of devonshire by amanda foreman. Fashion advice from the duchess of devonshire debo has sartorial wisdom to share however old you are. See more ideas about georgiana cavendish, the duchess of devonshire and georgiana duchess of devonshire. It was a runnerup for five further awards, including the national book critics circle nonfiction prize, and was named one of the ten best books of 2011 by the new. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Portrait of georgiana, duchess of devonshire wikipedia. Sweeping and scandalous, rich and compellingly readable, here is the first biography of lady harriet spencer, ancestor of diana, princess of wales, and devoted sister of georgiana, duchess of more want to read. Georgiana may not have been a great genius, but she was reasonably intelligent. Georgiana duchess of devonshire living language series by foreman, amanda at. Sep 19, 2008 based on a true story, as they say in the movies, the tale traces the cosseted, tightly corseted late18thcentury life of georgiana spencer, the duchess of devonshire, one of those gildedcage.