This is Lady Waterford (front left), in what may have been a specially designed invalid carriage, with members of the Beresford family and other guests at Curraghmore House, Portlaw, Co. Waterford.
Found this
great diary entry from Sunday, 2 June 1895, mentioning Lady Waterford: "
... She is a great invalid & was given up by the Drs a year ago so it is a marvel she is still alive..."
We originally thought this photo was circa 1900, but
mogey and
John Spooner found that Lady Waterford/Blanche, Marchioness of Waterford died in February 1897. Even better,
John Spooner came back with information that this photo was taken at the celebration of the coming of age of the Marquis of Waterford. See the comments below for details...
Date: August/September 1896
NLI Ref.:
POOLEIMP 409
Info:
Owner:
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source:
Flickr Commons
Views: 96194
Niall McAuley
Nice ass!
oaktree_brian_1976
Yeah, and the donkey ain't too bad either! haha
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnmcauley http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Badum Tish!
Nick Stewart2
"A great invalid"! Interesting description of the poor lady. Great photo quality as always.
Swordscookie
Our connoisseur of great hats, La Belle Province, must be away for the weekend, she has so many to choose from here and no comment yet? Interesting shot with so much going on not least the lady in the specially adapted carriage.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/swordscookie] And we could do with input on the hats in this one too from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_belle_province/] when she gets back from being AWOL!
mogey
If this is Lady Blanche Beresford she died in 1897, also the elderly Lady behind the carriage could be the dowager Lady Christiana Beresford who died in 1894, making the photo quite early in the 1890's
John Spooner
As a footnote to the 1895 diary entry, on 23rd October that year Lord Waterford committed suicide by a shooting himself through the head with a revolver. The death of Lord Beresford will be deplored as a calamity to members of his family, especially Lady Waterford , who has been in delicate health for some years The Times (London) Oct 24th 1895
John Spooner
Lady Waterford's obituary Feb 23rd 1897
John Spooner
Could the young man behind Lady Waterford be her son, who became The Marquis of Waterford on the death of his father? He appears to be wearing the same suit and tiepin (if you look at the original size). Even the knot of the tie and the way it is sitting just below his collar look the same. The more I look at it the more I'm convinced the two photos were taken on the same occasion.
Photo from The Graphic September 12th 1896, in an article describing his coming of age celebrations. Photo by you-know-who.
I wonder if the photo shows the important (i.e. titled) guests who were there for the celebrations? There were 700 guests altogether, "from South Tipperary, Killkenny, Lismore, Clonmel, and the County of Waterford were conveyed in special crowded trains"
The house party at Curraghmore at the time included, besides the Marquis of Waterford's mother (Lady Waterford) and his sisters (Lady Susan and Clodagh Beresford), the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, Lord Ormonde, Lady Lansdowne and Lady Beatrix Fitzmaurice*, Lord and Lady Charles Beresford, Lord William Beresford, Canon MacColl, Mr H. Park Beresford, Mr William Perry, Mr Nugent-Humble,and Mr. George Gray.
*The future Mrs Marquis of Waterford.They married in October 1897 at an all-ticket ceremony attended by the Prince of Wales (and Mr Nugent-Humble)
Seven titled ladies in the house party, seven in the photo. Seven gentlemen in the photo, six titled gentlemen in the list (if you include the Canon). And Lord Duncannon is mentioned elsewhere in the article so that makes seven.
Nothing definite, of course, but I'm beginning to convince myself.
I'm guessing that the elderly couple are the Duke (aged 72 in 1896) and Duchess (71) of Beaufort, Lady Waterford's parents.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mogey http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner Thanks, you two, for the date of death - added to description above...
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mogey Are Lady Christiana Beresford and http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner Duchess of Beaufort one and the same woman? Or to make it more clear for me, was that woman Blanche's mother or mother-in-law? Every time I post one of these aristocratic ones, I swear never again! (Until the next gorgeous photo comes along...)
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner] Dead right about the Marquis! Lookey here... although our dates on both of these photos are way off - Lady Waterford had been dead for 3 years by 1900!
John Spooner
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland] I don't think they are the same - I think Beresford was her husband's family name, before she married she was a Somerset (the Beaufort family name). In other words, Lady Christine Beresford was her mother in law, Lady Beaufort was her mother. Those other photos clinch it -same watch chain, same posture, same hands in pockets .. I've just realised that I've seen another reference to Curraghmore recently - it was the bithplace of Lt Henry Ambrose Mandeville RN, father of Winifred
mogey
Christiana Beresford was the mother of the Marquess of Waterford . The Duchess of Beaufort was the mother of Lady Blanche Beresford (the invalid). So the elderly lady could be either of these ladies. If the eldely gentleman is the Duke of Beaufort then presumablly then its probably his wife. To be honest who knows!!! Its fun guessing though
Aram G.
What a great shot!
bobgamble96
Can identify Lady Lansdowne (Maud Petty-Fitzmaurice) - standing behind Lady Waterford, looking at Camera. She was mother of the 6th Marquess's bride to be, Beatrix, and was niece of Lord John Russell PM. Also Lord Ormonde - hand in pocket at rear of the donkey (!) Have a feeling the chap hand in pocket at the very back is Lord Charles Beresford, the celebrated 'Charlie B'.
Niall McAuley
Lady Lansdowne
bobgamble96
My guess is that 'Hat of the Day' is being worn by Christiana, Dowager Lady Waterford, nee Leslie (1825-1905). Christiana would be the other surviving grandparent of the 6th Marquess (along with the Beauforts) and therefore likely to have been at the celebrations(although not listed above). I have seen photographs of her brother, the artist squire Sir John Leslie of Glaslough, and there is a definite family resemblance. She was certainly 'power dressing' for the occasion!
bobgamble96
Susan and Clodagh were twins b.1879, so presumably these are the young ladies standing to the left of Lady Lansdowne and the left of Lord Ormonde (as we look at it).
John Spooner
Report of the Marquis of Waterford's coming of age celebrations in August/September 1896 in The Graphic- with A H Poole credited with the photos The program for the week from the Pall Mall Gazette List of people included in the house party in the Pall Mall Gazette
bobgamble96
Lt Col Henry Pack-Beresford b.1871 (mentioned in the reports) was grandson of Elizabeth Louisa Beresford (sister of the 2nd Marquess) and Sir Dennis Pack (a Waterloo veteran). Can't be sure if he features in the photograph.
John Spooner
Another A H Poole photo apparently taken on this occasion and used in The Graphic (May 6 1899) - same hat and same not-quite-straight spotted bow-tie.
John Spooner
and another Poole photo taken on the same occasion (same pearls, collar and rose) used in The Graphic (Feb 27 1897)
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner Excellent information and identifications, thank you both!
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]] And here's Susan de la Poer Beresford again...
kiwikaboodle
I'm sure that the young lady on the far left is Lady Clodagh and her sister Susan is in the white dress and grey hat. I'm using this as a reference - www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8506630995/in/photostream
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Certainly looks very possible! Where did you get the lovely photo of the Beresford sisters?
kiwikaboodle
It's from the book Fashion in Photographs (1991). I liked the photograph and used it as a reference for a painting a few years back.
bobgamble96
Wow - just seen the photograph of the twins - could be a Pre-Raphaelite study ! Thanks Kiwikaboodle
kiwikaboodle
It is an amazing photo and looks like it could have been taken yesterday!
roger4336
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner When you strip the Duke of Beaufort's obituary down to essentials, his main function was to spend inherited money. :-) Nonetheless, this is a fascinating photo.
ksa2oporg
good information, thank you
roger4336
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] I was looking for "Charley B," too. All photos I have seen show him clean-shaven - no moustache. He had a bulldog-like face. He was a brother of the fifth Marquess of Waterford, and was 50 years old in 1896.
ofarrl
Just read that the 8th Marquess of Waterford, John Hubert De La Poer Beresford, has passed away at the age of 81. geneall.net/en/name/85922/john-hubert-de-la-poer-beresfor...
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Thank you for that Paul, may he rest in peace!
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
This is our 75th photo to be added to our 50,000+ Views Album https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/sets/72157651136879037
tunahanc236
Super
gaiamethod
My grandmother was a governess here before she married in the early 1900s. It is difficult to find information about her!
Niall McAuley
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/gaiamethod] My go to sites are the census of 1901 and 1911 The civil records of births, marriages and deaths from the 1860s on (births cut off about 100 years ago for privacy reasons).