Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), formerly Lady Georgiana Spencer, was the first wife of the 5th Duke of Devonshire and mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire. Her father, the 1st Earl Spencer, was a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her niece wasLady Caroline Lamb. Among the descendants of her family are the present Duke of Devonshire (via her great great grand niece); Diana, Princess of Wales, andSarah, Duchess of York (via her illegitimate daughter Eliza Courtney).

Life

The Duchess of Devonshire was a celebrated beauty and a socialite who gathered around her a large circle of literary and political figures—a salon. She was also an active political campaigner in an age when women's suffrage was still over a century away. The Spencers and the Cavendishes were Whigs. The Duchess of Devonshire campaigned for the Whigs—particularly for a distant cousin, Charles James Fox—at a time when the King (George III) and his Ministers had more direct influence over the House of Commons, principally through their power of patronage. During the 1784 general election, the Duchess was rumoured to have traded kisses for votes in favour of Fox and was satirised by Thomas Rowlandson in his print "THE DEVONSHIRE, or Most Approved Method of Securing Votes".

Famously, when she was stepping out of her carriage one day, an Irish dustman exclaimed: "Love and bless you, my lady, let me light my pipe in your eyes!”, a compliment which she often recalled whenever others complimented her by retorting, "After the dustman's compliment, all others are insipid."

In 1779, she anonymously published the epistolary novel The Sylph. The Duchess was instrumental in formulating, with Thomas Beddoes, the idea of establishing the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol.

Husband and children

Lady Georgiana Spencer married the Duke of Devonshire on her seventeenth birthday: 7 June 1774. She had numerous miscarriages before giving birth to four children: three with her husband, and an illegitimate daughter fathered by the 2nd Earl Grey. She also raised the Duke's illegitimate daughter, Charlotte, who was conceived with a maid.

• Lady Georgiana Dorothy Cavendish ("Little G") (12 July 1783 – 8 August 1858), married the 6th Earl of Carlisle and had issue (children).
• Lady Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish ("Harryo") (29 August 1785 – 25 November 1862), married the 1st Earl Granville and had issue.
• William George Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, later 6th Duke of Devonshire ("Hart") (21 May 1790 – 18 January 1858), never married.
• Eliza Courtney Ellice, (20 February 1792 – 2 May 1859), illegitimate daughter of the 2nd Earl Grey. Georgiana was forced to give her to Grey's parents. Eliza married Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Ellice and had issue, naming her eldest daughter Georgiana.

The Duchess introduced the Duke to her best friend, Lady Elizabeth Foster, and lived in a ménage à trois with them for the next 25 years. Lady Elizabeth had two children by the Duke, a son (Augustus William James Clifford) and a daughter (Caroline Rosalie St Jules).

Fashion and debt

The Duchess of Devonshire is famous not only for her marital arrangements, her catastrophic affairs, her beauty and sense of style, and her political campaigning, but also for her love of gambling. She was reported to have died deeply in debt, even though her own family, the Spencers, and her husband's family, the Cavendishes, were immensely wealthy. She died on 30 March 1806, aged 48, from what was thought to be an abscess of the liver; she was buried at All Saints Parish Church (which is nowDerby Cathedral). At her death, she owed today's equivalent of £3,720,000. The Duchess was so petrified of her husband discovering the extent of her debts that she kept them secret; the Duke only discovered the extent of her debts after her death and remarked, "Is that all?

During her years in the public eye, Georgiana was painted by Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds. Gainsborough's famous painting of her in a large black hat (a style which she made sensationally fashionable, and came to be known as the 'Gainsborough' or 'portrait' hat) was lost for many years. It had been stolen from a London art gallery by Adam Worth then somehow restored to Agnew's Art Gallery by Allan Pinkerton of the American detective agency Pinkerton's. It turned up again at Sotheby's a decade ago and was purchased by the 11th Duke of Devonshire for the Chatsworth collection. The Duchess of Devonshire managed to keep a "natural relationship" with the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette; the similarity of the lives they led is often observed.

Titles and Styles

• Miss Georgiana Spencer (7 June 1757 – 3 April 1761)
• The Hon. Georgiana Spencer (3 April 1761 - 1 November 1765)
• Lady Georgiana Spencer (1 November 1765 - 7 June 1774)
• Her Grace The Duchess of Devonshire (7 June 1774 - 30 March 1806)

In Popular Culture

Contrary to popular belief, the play The School for Scandal was not written about the Duchess of Devonshire's scandalous affairs. Despite interacting with Sheridan, the playwright, the inspiration for the play's various characters came from actors Sheridan knew personally.

Film portrayals

• The Divine Lady (1929), played by Evelyn Hall.
• Berkeley Square (1933) played by Juliette Compton
• Mrs Fitzherbert (1947), played by Mary Clare.
• The House in the Square (1951), played by Kathleen Byron
• The Duchess (2008), played by Keira Knightley. The film, directed by Saul Dibb, is based on the biography Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman.

Ancestry - Further Reading

• Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, Amanda Foreman (1998) ISBN 0-00-655016-9 (now published as The Duchess)
• Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, Brian Masters, Hamish Hamilton, 1981.
• Georgiana, The Earl of Bessborough (editor), John Murray, London, 1955.
• The Two Duchesses.., Family Correspondence relating to.., Vere Foster (editor), Blackie & Son, London, Glasgow & Dublin, 1898.
• An Aristocratic Affair - The life of Georgiana's sister Harriet, Countess Bessborough, Janet Gleeson, 2006, ISBN 0593054873
• Portraits of Georgiana by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Romney, Cosway and others.
• Extra material not included in Amanda Foreman's book
• Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, The Sylph, ed. Jonathan David Gross (Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 2007), ISBN 0-8101-2229-4

Source: wikipedia

The Dutchess

The Duchess is a 2008 British drama film based on Amanda Foreman's best-selling biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK. Originally to be directed by Susanne Bier, The Duchess was directed by Saul Dibb. 
Plot Summary
Set in the late eighteenth century, The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. While her beauty and fashion made her famous, extravagance and gambling made her infamous. She is married to the cold and much older William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire. Despite the Duke's blatant infidelities, Georgiana becomes a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator, and darling of the common people. Reeling from her husband's affair with her best friend, Lady Bess Foster, Georgiana takes on her own lover, the future prime minister Earl Grey.
Production
The Duchess is financed by BBC Films and Pathé. The Duchess was filmed at Twickenham Film Studios and on-location at Chatsworth, Bath, Holkham Hall, Clandon Park, Kedleston Hall, Somerset House and the Old Royal Naval College.  Regarding lead actress Keira Knightley, director Saul Dibb said The Duchess was "a chance to take a character from late childhood — she's married at 17—into full adulthood, 10 years later." It was also a chance to work with Ralph Fiennes, whom she regarded as one of her most accomplished co-stars to date; Dibb said, "When I said, 'We've got Ralph interested in playing the Duke,' we both took a gulp and went, 'F---.' [sic] ... But I didn't for one second feel that she wasn't up to the task.
Cast

• Keira Knightley as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
• Ralph Fiennes as William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire
• Hayley Atwell as Lady Elizabeth 'Bess' Foster
• Charlotte Rampling as Countess Spencer, wife to Earl Spencer
• Dominic Cooper as Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
• Aidan McArdle as Richard Brinsley Sheridan
• Simon McBurney as Charles James Fox
• Sebastian Applewhite as Agustas And

• Calvin Dean as Devonshire House Servant;
• Emily Jewell as Nanny;
• Hannah Stokely as Maid;
• Richard Syms as Dr Neville;
• Richard McCabe as Sir James Hare;
• Andy Armour as Burleigh the Butler;
• Emily Cohen as Harryo;
• Poppy Wigglesworth as Charlotte (aged 10);
• Mercy Fiennes Tiffin as Little Georgiana;
• Sebastian Applewhite as Augustus;
• Eva Hrela as Charlotte (aged 3);
• Bruce Mackinnon as Sir Peter Teazle actor;
• Alistair Petrie as Heaton;
• Georgia King as Lady Teazle actress;
• Kate Burdette as Lady Harriet;
• Paul Daley as George Augustus Henry Cavendish, created 1st Earl of Burlington of the 2nd order or creation (a.k.a. Duke's brother);
• Hannah Stretton as Lady Mary;
• Hollie Standish-Leigh as Lady Patricia;
• and Anon. plays Georgiana's daughter by Lord Grey, Eliza Courtney.

Release - Marketing

The film advertisements which featured Diana, Princess of Wales caused the film to be branded "crudely promoted"

Studio executives wanted to use digitally altered images of Keira Knightley in promotional materials. The alterations were specifically aimed at enlarging her breasts. However, Knightley objected to the alterations and they were not used. The marketing campaign also drew criticism for its use of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was a descendent of Georgiana's. The ad used slogans such as "two women related by ancestry and united by destiny" and even used "There were three people in her marriage", the latter being an almost identical copy of a famous quote that Diana, Princess of Wales uttered during her infamousPanorama interview. Michael Hellicar of the Daily Mail stated that "the Diana link is being so heavily, and it has to be said, so cynically and crudely promoted."  Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, criticised the marketing strategy too, saying "They probably thought the only way to get the young popcorn-eating brigade to see the film was if they thought it was about Diana, but it wasn't necessary and they should never have done that. And the line 'united by destiny' is wrong. I don't think Georgiana actually died in a carriage crash."

Theatrical release

The BBFC has classified the film as a 12A, citing the scene of implied marital rape, which is "delivered through Georgiana's screams of protest, heard from outside the bedroom door." The BBFC's PG rating allows implied sex as long as it is discreet and infrequent; the board decided that the scene in The Duchess is more than "discreet" or "implied". The film had its world premiere on September 3, 2008, inLeicester Square and was released nationwide in the United Kingdom on September 5.

Critical reception

The film received mixed, though mostly positive, reviews gaining 61% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 142 reviews, with the consensus that "Keira Knightley squeezes into a corset again, and pulls off another worthy performance in this sumptuous and emotional period drama, that serves parallels to the Duchess's descendent Princess Diana." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that "Dibb's movie looks good" [however] "exasperatingly bland and slow-moving at all times" handing out a 2 of 5 star rating. However, Paul Hurley gave the film 8/10 and called The Duchess "an excellent new film" and states that "The Duchess stands a good chance of taking home some very big prizes at the end of the year".

Most reviewers have highly praised Knightley and Fiennes' performances. Timeout London wrote: "[Saul Dibb] is also helped enormously by a mature, restrained portrayal from Knightley, a masterclass in passive aggression from Fiennes and a performance of tender seduction from Atwell." The Epoch Times writes, "Ralph Fiennes brings a human quality to [the Duke] by avoiding any intent, exaggeration or ill will" and "Keira Knightley’s performance gains new depth — she not only perfectly portrays a witty and feminine Georgiana early in the film, but also a caring mother, and an abandoned woman later on. Also remarkable in this role is Knightley’s ability to portray the strengths, weaknesses, and the internal hurdles of Georgiana, as well as her internal contemplation." Film Ireland writes "It is a slow movie but it is well acted with Knightley and Fiennes suited to their roles, especially Fiennes who gives a formidable and powerful performance." 

Cameron Baily, the co-chair of The Toronto International Festival comments; “The Duchess Of Devonshire, with Keira Knightley, which is a beautiful film and she gives a really mature performance. You’re seeing her really turn into something beyond the kind of pretty face that we’ve seen her do already so well. But she’s actually a very serious actress and she’s turning into a great, great performer. The film's costume designer Michael O'Connor was nominated for, and won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design and the Satellite Award for Best Costume Design.

Awards

Awards ceremony	Award Category	Subject	Result
Academy Awards[16]	Best Costume Design	Michael O'Connor	Won
	Best Art Direction	Michael Carlin	Nominated
BAFTA Awards[17]	Best Costume Design	Michael O'Connor	Won
BIFA[18]	Best Actress	Keira Knightley	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Ralph Fiennes	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Hayley Atwell	Nominated
	Best Technical Achievement	Michael O'Connor (Costume)	Nominated
Golden Globes Awards[19][20]	Best Supporting Actor	Ralph Fiennes	Nominated
People's Choice Awards[21]	Favourite Actress	Keira Knightley	Nominated
	Favourite Independent Movie	The Duchess	Nominated
Satellite Awards[22]	Best Art Direction and Production Design	Karen Wakefield, Michael Carlin	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Gyula Pados	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Michael O'Connor	Won
London Circle Critics' Film Awards	British Actor of the Year	Ralph Fiennes	Nominated
	British Actress in a Supporting Role	Hayley Atwell	Nominated

Source: wikipedia