'I know I was handsome... and have always been fashionable, but I do assure you our negligence and omissions have been forgiven and we have been loved, more from our being free of airs than from any other circumstance.'
Georgiana to her daughter on her death bed.
I have wanted to do a post about Georgiana of Devonshire for a long time, not because of the movie, but i thought i could kill two birds with one stone and do amanda foreman's biography of her as well as the movie (now out in cinemas) starring the whippet keira knightley and the I JUST MELTED INTO MY CHAIR dominic cooper. *cough*. But i think i would like to do them separately because the biography that the movie is based on is one of my favourite history books of all time, and i would like to tackle the costumes of the duchess in their own post. I think they deserve that, don't you?
Anyway, back to Georgiana. And Foreman. Forget what you think about biographies and history, that is, if you think it is a boring stuffy topic because, in the words of colin farrel in bruges 'it's a bunch of stuff that's already happened'... don't forget what you think about history if you love it (like me). This book is amazing. Like all good biography, and those really are few and far between nowadays, this book combines the life of georgiana with an in depth look at the society, politics, fashion and atmosphere of the period. And what a period it was! the French Revolution, the whigs running for power, the rise of science and empiricism... What an age to live in!
People describe Georgiana as one of the first fashion icons, and like her BFF Marie Antoinette (haha) she launched many styles onto the public. Many of the styles between the pair were completely unwearable by anyone other than the aristocracy (one recalls the towering wigs, huge hats, dresses adorned with precious jewels and bodices so tight that they could not be worn for more than an hour at a time) but then again, isn't that exactly what most fashion plates do today? I live for the day when a celebrated fashion plate leaves the house in an outfit entirely from vinnies, or a high street store. Without one designer item. And not trilling 'it's vintage darling' when of course by vintage she means last season Dior.
Wooh. Back to topic. The book really gets in depth about these trends, because they were one of the main elements of Georgiana, and it doesn't skim over fashion which many history books have done before. Foreman takes an interesting stance on Georgiana, which is that she was an emotionally needy person who, despite being intelligent and wealthy and charming and stylish was also very very very insecure. It was her insecurity that led her never to really see herself in a positive life and to spend all of her life trying to atone for things she didn't do wrong and ignore things that she did do wrong. She had a terrible gambling problem that her redoubtable mother tried to quell by instilling in her the fear of God... of course that didn't work. She was also stuck in an abusive relationship, not physically, but emotionally. The Duke, as the movie so aptly puts it 'was the only person in england not in love with his wife'. He spent most of the beginning of their relationship ignoring her, or worse, treating her like she was nothing more than someone in his house. He did not love her, and though Georgiana felt that they would grow in love they never did. Certainly at times he was fond of her, but at the end of the day they were too dislike in temperament and understanding. Georgiana needed constant attention and a partner of lively spirits whereas the Duke was a lone ranger.
Enter one of the most important people of Georgiana's life; Bess Foster. Bess was Georgiana's best friend... And also the Duke's mistress. OUCH! Whatever happened to sister solidarity? THeir relationship is so weird and wacky that i still have not quite understood whether they all got along or it was a pretense. Many have stated that Georgiana was magnanimous to receive Bess and the Duke's illegitimate child into her family as her own daughter... others have said that Bess was manipulating the both of them for money and security. It is not really clear. From the letters i think Georgiana did love Bess dearly, always had and always would, but was hurt by her lasting affair with the Duke and could never trust her again. Foreman believes that BEss spent most of her life playing to either Georgiana or the DUke's ego and, if not manipulating them then subtly tweaking them to come around to her point of view and opinions.
No wonder Georgiana was such a fixture in the gossip columns. Aside from being beautiful, fashionable and popular, she was also full of intrigue. There was speculation for years about whether she was having an affair, whether she had really lost 60 000 pounds (then, in today's money worth about 3 million AUS) in one night, and where on earth she got her muslin dress from. The book, along with pictures, captures in a very witty dry tone all of the rumours, speculation and cattiness of the time. Some of the sheer rudeness of georgiana's so-called friends serves as a reminder for me that a bitch is a bitch, no matter the costume.
So if you're looking to break up the novel streak, or if you're a history buff, or if you like reading about times, things and periods that are foreign to you, or if you're an anglophile... this is the book for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did!
I have wanted to do a post about Georgiana of Devonshire for a long time, not because of the movie, but i thought i could kill two birds with one stone and do amanda foreman's biography of her as well as the movie (now out in cinemas) starring the whippet keira knightley and the I JUST MELTED INTO MY CHAIR dominic cooper. *cough*. But i think i would like to do them separately because the biography that the movie is based on is one of my favourite history books of all time, and i would like to tackle the costumes of the duchess in their own post. I think they deserve that, don't you?
Anyway, back to Georgiana. And Foreman. Forget what you think about biographies and history, that is, if you think it is a boring stuffy topic because, in the words of colin farrel in bruges 'it's a bunch of stuff that's already happened'... don't forget what you think about history if you love it (like me). This book is amazing. Like all good biography, and those really are few and far between nowadays, this book combines the life of georgiana with an in depth look at the society, politics, fashion and atmosphere of the period. And what a period it was! the French Revolution, the whigs running for power, the rise of science and empiricism... What an age to live in!
People describe Georgiana as one of the first fashion icons, and like her BFF Marie Antoinette (haha) she launched many styles onto the public. Many of the styles between the pair were completely unwearable by anyone other than the aristocracy (one recalls the towering wigs, huge hats, dresses adorned with precious jewels and bodices so tight that they could not be worn for more than an hour at a time) but then again, isn't that exactly what most fashion plates do today? I live for the day when a celebrated fashion plate leaves the house in an outfit entirely from vinnies, or a high street store. Without one designer item. And not trilling 'it's vintage darling' when of course by vintage she means last season Dior.
Wooh. Back to topic. The book really gets in depth about these trends, because they were one of the main elements of Georgiana, and it doesn't skim over fashion which many history books have done before. Foreman takes an interesting stance on Georgiana, which is that she was an emotionally needy person who, despite being intelligent and wealthy and charming and stylish was also very very very insecure. It was her insecurity that led her never to really see herself in a positive life and to spend all of her life trying to atone for things she didn't do wrong and ignore things that she did do wrong. She had a terrible gambling problem that her redoubtable mother tried to quell by instilling in her the fear of God... of course that didn't work. She was also stuck in an abusive relationship, not physically, but emotionally. The Duke, as the movie so aptly puts it 'was the only person in england not in love with his wife'. He spent most of the beginning of their relationship ignoring her, or worse, treating her like she was nothing more than someone in his house. He did not love her, and though Georgiana felt that they would grow in love they never did. Certainly at times he was fond of her, but at the end of the day they were too dislike in temperament and understanding. Georgiana needed constant attention and a partner of lively spirits whereas the Duke was a lone ranger.
Enter one of the most important people of Georgiana's life; Bess Foster. Bess was Georgiana's best friend... And also the Duke's mistress. OUCH! Whatever happened to sister solidarity? THeir relationship is so weird and wacky that i still have not quite understood whether they all got along or it was a pretense. Many have stated that Georgiana was magnanimous to receive Bess and the Duke's illegitimate child into her family as her own daughter... others have said that Bess was manipulating the both of them for money and security. It is not really clear. From the letters i think Georgiana did love Bess dearly, always had and always would, but was hurt by her lasting affair with the Duke and could never trust her again. Foreman believes that BEss spent most of her life playing to either Georgiana or the DUke's ego and, if not manipulating them then subtly tweaking them to come around to her point of view and opinions.
No wonder Georgiana was such a fixture in the gossip columns. Aside from being beautiful, fashionable and popular, she was also full of intrigue. There was speculation for years about whether she was having an affair, whether she had really lost 60 000 pounds (then, in today's money worth about 3 million AUS) in one night, and where on earth she got her muslin dress from. The book, along with pictures, captures in a very witty dry tone all of the rumours, speculation and cattiness of the time. Some of the sheer rudeness of georgiana's so-called friends serves as a reminder for me that a bitch is a bitch, no matter the costume.
So if you're looking to break up the novel streak, or if you're a history buff, or if you like reading about times, things and periods that are foreign to you, or if you're an anglophile... this is the book for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did!
Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, Amanda Foreman.
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