Chiswick Timeline of Writers & Books: A quick guide
From the Writers Trail:
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24. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire 1757-1806. Socialite, novelist: The Sylph was published anonymously in 1778 and reprinted four times. Republished 2007 on 250th anniversary of her birth. Called Chiswick House ‘my earthly paradise’.
Chiswick House and Gardens, W4 2QN. Free access to the gardens, for house see opening times, chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk
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More links:
- Chiswick House and Gardens: Gathering and Celebrating
- ‘Did you see the film The Duchess? Maybe you’ve read Amanda Foreman’s brilliant book…’
- Amanda Foreman interview at Chiswick House
- The Sylph: Project Gutenberg
- Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire – Wikipaedia (plus link to The Sylph)
- The Duchess DVD
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Costumes from the film The Duchess, designed by Micheal O’Connor, supplied by Cosprop, April 2009.
More reading:
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1. Keira Knightley’s wardrobe from The Duchess on display in Chiswick – Richmond & Twickenham Times, 2009
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An exhibition of Oscar-winning costumes has gone on display at the house Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, described as “my earthly paradise”. The outfits from the film The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, will be exhibited at Chiswick House this month. The lavish period drama tells the story of the loveless marriage between the 18th century aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish and the fifth Duke of Devonshire.
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A total of 14 outfits from the film, which had scenes shot at Osterley House, will be displayed in the elegant apartments of the house, including the red dress worn by Georgiana (played by Knightley) when she drunkenly knocks over a candelabra and sets her wig on fire.
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The outfits were created by designer Michael O’Connor, who won this year’s Oscar for Best Costume Design. He said: “It’s a privilege to be invited to exhibit the costumes from The Duchess at Chiswick House. The costumes were designed with an eye on reality and accuracy. I would always imagine Georgiana’s surroundings and environment including rooms, furniture and decoration. It is satisfying to know that the costumes are installed in one of the houses where over two centuries ago one can imagine them actually being worn.”
2. Reviews of The Sylph (republished in September 2007 on the 250th anniversary of Georgiana’s birth)
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“This scholarly edition of The Sylph provides fresh insights into the lives of aristocratic women in the 1770s. The novel by one of the most fashionable women of her age is both a window on upper-class social mores and a roman à clef drawing on the Duchess’s own gambling addiction and unconventional domestic arrangements.” – Janet Todd, Herbert J.C. Grierson Professor of English Literature, University of Aberdeen
“Once praised as ingenious and condemned as obscene, The Sylph is, in fact, a fascinating insider’s view of the life of the British ruling class, penned by one of the most gifted and troubled women of the eighteenth century.” – Paula R. Feldman, C. Wallace Martin Professor of English, University of South Carolina
“[A] witty, accomplished portrait of Georgian society, written from the unique perspective of its biggest trendsetter.”- Booklist
3. ‘To Myself’: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire’s newly discovered poem – published, 2023|
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All Things Georgian – Guest post by Bibi Cox O’Brien
“Whilst on a work placement at the Chatsworth House Archives, I came across the poem. I was meant to be transcribing letters of correspondence for the work placement but requested some further items from a small archival collection called ‘Papers of Georgiana Cavendish’ which contained what was described as ‘notebooks and scrapbooks.’ I was an MA English Literature student at the time, but I knew I had a keen interest in women’s poetry manuscripts, so when I read a letter by Georgiana’s brother which mentioned some verse written by her that he had circulated amongst peers and had been wildly popular, I wondered if there was something of interest still waiting to be found in the archives. What I ended up finding surpassed my expectations.”
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Bibi Cox O’Brien and Amanda Foreman on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour – August 23rd 2023
“One of our listeners got in touch to tell us that his daughter had discovered a previously unseen poem by Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire, who you may know about from the Keira Knightley film, The Duchess. We’ll be bringing you that poem and discussing why the duchess was such an influential political figure in her day.” Starts 35 minutes into the programme.
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Chiswick Timeline Writers Trail
Read more stories via the Writers Tales page.
The Chiswick Timeline of Writers & Books lists almost 500 writers who have written a book and lived in Chiswick W4, or written books about the area. See A Quick Guide.