#nancyastor

Nancy Astor, 1908 Nancy Witcher Astor née Langhorne; born 1879, Danville, Virginia; died 1964, Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire Nancy grew up in an old Virginian family who had lost their fortune in the American Civil War, the eighth of eleven children. Her father owed his wealth to the railroad business, and her childhood was not uncomfortable, though they 'had the same supper every night: cornbread and eggs, raw tomatoes, beaten biscuits and molasses. rarely meat. She married Robert Gould Shaw at the age of 17; they divorced in 1903. On a transatlantic liner she met Waldorf Astor, and married him in 1906. His father, the naturalized Briton William Waldorf Astor, gave the couple Cliveden, his palatial house and estate overlooking the Thames, as well as a Cartier tiara for Nancy which incorporated the famous Sancy 55-carat diamond. Her wit, vivacity and intelligence considerably outshone her inheritance, and drove her trailblazing political career. Sargent painted Nancy in the early years of her marriage, at the age of 29. Her twisting, lively pose derives from a Romney portrait of Emma Hamilton as a Bacchante, a follower of Dionysus the god of wine - Ironically as Nancy was a teetotaller. When the work was exhibited In 1909 at the Royal Academy, Sargent wrote to her You look beautiful in Room No. 1, beautiful but interesting. Many people tumbled to your captious and penetrating charm. Sargent was frequently Invited to Cliveden, but grew tired of its social whirl and stopped visiting.

#NancyAstor 1908
#SingerSargent

“Heiress”. Sargent’s American Portraits exhibition at #KenwoodHouse #London

Interesting to see Sargent’s image of a youthful Nancy (known for her wit, vivacity & intelligence), painted a decade before she became the first female MP to sit in Parliament. See ALT text

Anyone else dreaming of having complementary tiaras with their sister (or in my case my “chosen sister)? #TiaraTuesday

Repost from @antiquejewelleryhistorian

2 sisters. 2 tiaras. 1 legendary jeweler- twin testaments to Cartier.

#NancyAstor #AntiqueTiara #Cartier #VandAMuseum #HistoricJewels

A Woman’s Place is in the Commons

#OnThisDay in 1919 #NancyAstor becomes the first woman to take her seat in #Parliament.

Britain’s formidable first female MPs, from Countess Markievicz to Ellen Wilkinson.

🔓 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟕 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬

www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...

x.com

"RT UniofReading: Join Jacqui1918 live on askhistorians talking #NancyAstor, #suffrage, #earlyfemaleMPs, and more,… https://x.com/i/web/status/918135369119535109"