Here is a beautiful photo taken my daughter Tessa Case. The textures float so effortlessly together that it looks more like an oil painting than a photograph.
If you are interested in the Mitfords, visit The Swan at Swinbrook, near Burford. It is owned by the last surviving Mitford sister, Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, and has photographs and memorabilia.
What an incredible family - six brilliant beautiful daughters who were deprived of a proper education because of some whacky bias about educating women. The only son, Thomas (1909-1945) died in WWII.
Nancy (1904 - 1973) was a successful novelist, and after two unfortunate marriages (a closet gay and a philanderer) had a long relationship with a lover, Gaston Palewski who was a member of the French resistance and right-hand man to French president Charles de Gaulle.
Pamela (1907 - 1994) was the "Rural Mitford" according to John Betjeman and a country woman to the core.
Diana (1910 - 2003) the most beautiful of all, abandoned a husband and two young sons for Oswald Mosely, leader of the fascists. Hitler was a guest of honour at their marriage. Diana was imprisoned in Britain with Mosley after being "dobbed in" by Nancy. Through Churchill's intervention they finished the war under house arrest in a little cottage.
Unity (1914 - 1948) became embroiled with the Nazis in general and Hitler in particular and when war broke out, she shot herself in the head rather than face returning home. She survived and her mother cared for her now brain-damaged daughter until she died in 1948.
Jessica (1917 - 1996) embraced communism and eloped with Winston Churchill's nephew Esmond Romilly to the Spanish Civil War. After emigrating to America in 1939 and later working as a civil rights worker, she ended up as an investigative journalist.
The youngest, only surviving sister, Deborah, (b.1920) led a more conventional life, marrying Andrew Cavendish, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, and became the Duchess of Devonshire and owner of the beautiful stately home, Chatsworth.
Not quite art, but fascinating.
I read The Mitford Girls by Mary S. Lovell and was mesmerised by the extraordinary eccentric family.
Deborah is not really the conventional one...In fact, she discovered her husband was an alcoholic and herself pulled Chatsworth into the 20th and 21st centuries, making it a huge % generating its own electricity with harnessing waterfalls, starting best farmshop probably in the country, having heir who died in second war (he was married to a Kennedy who died in a plane crash shortly after)...now helps run a pub or something.
ReplyDeleteBut she in many ways is at least if not more unconventional as she has done all kinds of stuff not to have Chatsworth pay its way by hosting rich Americans. Petting place and playground for children. et c etc etc...
but her story of how she had to face down her husband's 'retainers' who were colluding with his alcoholism is very moving. Tough and interesting lady
WHOSE secret passion is Elvis Presley :-)
Love Scarlett xx
Thanks Scarlett for this.
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