Manners, Violet

Marion Margaret Violet Lindsay was born on March 7, 1856 in London. Her parents were the venerable , the youngest son of and Mary Margaret Pennington, and Lady Emilia Anna Brown, the daughter of , and Katerina Penelope de Montmorency ^{[1] [2] [3]} .

in the drawing of his wife, 1891.

At the age of 26, she married , the only son and heir and Katerina Marley. ^[3] The couple had little in common: Henry was a conservative and loved hunting, Violet adhered to the views of a bohemian life , was interested in art. Five children were born in the marriage. The birth of the last two girls is attributed to Violet’s lovers: Lady Violet Katerina was born from , and the last daughter, , from a relationship with Geri Cochain-Coast ^[2] .

In 1888, the couple became the Marquis of Granby ^[2] . In 1906, after the death of his father, Henry inherited his title, becoming the 8th Duke of Rutland, Violet became the Duchess ^{[3] [2]} . During the First World War, the duchess's house in Arlington Street became a hospital ^[2] . Her daughter Diana was in the hospital as a nurse. Son-in-law of Violet Hugo Charteris, husband of her daughter Violet, died during the war ^[2] .

The Duke of Rutland died in 1925. His title was inherited by the second son of the couple, . Violet herself, the Dowager Duchess of Rutland, died on December 22, 1937 and was buried in Beaver Castle , the residence of the Manners family ^[2] .

Children:

• Lady Victoria Marjorie Harriet Manners (1883-1946) - the wife of , had six children;
• The Honorable Robert Charles John Manners (1885-1894) - died in his youth;
• (1886-1940) - 9th Duke of Rutland, was married to Catherine Tennant , had five children;
• Lady Violet Katerina Manners (1888-1971) - wife of Hugo Charteris first, had children from him, then married Guy Benson ;
• Lady (1892-1986) - daughter of a relationship with Henry Cast , wife of Duff Cooper , mother of four children.

Violet received a home education, and her family encouraged the girl's interest in art. In her youth she was in Italy ^[2] , where in 1877 she showed some of her drawings and sculptures in the Grosvenor gallery , the founder of which was her cousin ^[3] . Violet herself considered herself a professional in the art. Her most successful works are drawings by members of the Lindsay family and the family of her spouse. Some of her works have been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and the , as well as in France and the United States ^{[2] [4]} . In 1825, one critic spoke about the duchess’s work, saying: “Her style is especially suitable for portraying female beauty and elegance, the artist achieves high results in the outlines of the faces of sitters” ^[2] .

The duchess was helped in organizing the display of the drawings by her friend, sculptor ^[3] . In 1894, the eldest son Violet died. She made a drawing of a boy at his grave in Beaver Castle ^[5] . The Duchess’s best work is considered to be a statue depicting her son and other family members. Until 1937, the statue was in the London residence of Violet, and after it was acquired by the British Tate Museum ^[2] . In 1900, portraits of men and women who made up the artist’s social circle were published ^[6] .

Violet was a member of the Society, which brought together aristocrats in the arts and intellectual sciences. named the Duchess of Rutland “the Queen of the society, who has beauty, extraordinary artistic abilities, understands economic and social issues, which makes her the undisputed leader” ^[7] .

The Duchess was a famous beauty, like her youngest daughter, Lady ^[3] Violet was portrayed in portraits of James Shannon ^[4] and George Frederick Watts ^[8] . One of her contemporaries wrote about her: “Her personality was excellent: brown hair, pale complexion, eyes, a slender figure, along with a great taste for clothes of faded flowers from soft fabrics” ^[2] .

Violet had his own studio at ^[4] . After the death of her husband, she moved to , where she founded a new studio and was engaged in art. She organized her exhibitions until the end of her life. She presented her last work to the public in November 1937, a month before her death ^[2] .

• Dakers, Caroline. The Holland Park Circle: Artists and Victorian Society : [ eng. ] . - London: Yale University Press, 1999 .-- P. 225. - 303 p. - ISBN 0300081642 .
• Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage : [ eng. ] . - London: Dean & Son, Limited, 1902. - P. 226. - 963 p.
• Lady's Realm: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine : [ eng. ] . - London: Hutchinson and Company, 1907. - P. 252-54. - 464 p. - ISBN 1470141035 .
• Wardleworth, Dennis. William Reid Dick, sculptor : [ eng. ] . - London: Ashgate Publishing, 2013 .-- P. 74-76. - 215 p. - ISBN 1409439712 .
• Watters, Tamie. Victorian Britain: An Encyclopedia : [ eng. ] . - London: Routledge, 2011 .-- P. 743. - 1012 p. - ISBN 0415668514 .

• Marion Margaret Violet Lindsay (Spanish) . - Profile on Geneall.net.
• Marion Margaret Violet Lindsay - Profile on Thepeerage.com.
• (Marion Margaret) Violet Manners (née Lindsay), Duchess of Rutland (1856-1937), Artist; wife of 8th Duke of Rutland . - Profile on the website of the National Portrait Gallery in London.