One of my favorite spots in London is the Wallace Collection, exhibited in the wonderful Hertford House on Manchester Square in Mayfair. Below, a drawing from their collection of Hertford House, c. 1812.
Today the home of the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square looks entirely different. Hertford House was built as Manchester House in 1776-88 by the 4th Duke of Manchester. It has been considerably altered from its original form with the addition of galleries to accommodate the art. It is open to the public today, and has a lovely café. Below, the current appearance.
The 2nd Marquess of Hertford, 1743-1822, a member of the Seymour family headed by the Duke of Somerset, bought Manchester House, and renamed it Hertford House in 1797. Hertford was Lord of the Treasury, and Ambassador to Berlin and Vienna under George III and Lord Chamberlain to Prince Regent 1812-21. His wife, Isabella, Lady Hertford, had a long liaison with the Prince Regent from 1807 to about 1819. Lady Hertford's place in Prinny's life was taken by Lady Conyngham. Below, décor of the house reflects the French tastes of the English aristocracy in the mid-Victorian era.
Please remember to click on the thumbnail below for larger versions. In the top row, center, Margaret, Countess of Blessington, by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1822.
Please remember to click on the thumbnail below for larger versions. In the top row, center, Margaret, Countess of Blessington, by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1822.
It seems the Hertfords had an appropriate scandal in just about every generation. The Third Marquess led a dissipated life and he was the model for Thackeray’s Lord Steyne in Vanity Fair. Yet he was a brilliant connoisseur and acted as agent for the Prince of Wales purchase of some magnificent Dutch pictures which are still in the Royal Collection.
The 4th Marquess of Hertford (1800-70) never married. He was brought up in Paris by his mother and was one of Europe's richest men, benefitting from extensive Irish estates. I suppose we may safely assume he was one of those wretched landlords during the potato famine. He left his fortune and his unentailed property to Richard Wallace, (1818-1890) son of Mrs. Agnes Jackson, later Sir Richard Wallace, Bart., but never acknowledged his paternity. A second cousin inherited the marquisate. Below, the Staircase.
Richard Wallace was a considerable philanthropist in France during the war with Prussia and eventually married his mistress Julie Castelnau, mother of his son (who died in 1887.) He was made a baronet in 1871 and made many philanthropic donations to both the French and British nations. Lady Wallace, said to have been a former shop girl in a Paris perfumery, lived a secluded life at Hertford House after her husband's death in 1890. She was his sole heir.
The Wallace collection was bequeathed to nation in 1897 by Lady Wallace, widow of Sir Richard Wallace. Sir Richard inherited one of the world's great collections of the Hertford Family and also was a great collector himself.
Above, L to R: The Laughing Cavalier by Franz Hals, 1624; George IV by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1822; Mrs. Mary Robinson (Perdita), by Thomas Gainsborough, 1781.
Below, my only photo of the WallaceCollection Cafe, as reflected in the glass ceiling over the former courtyard, also showing the window-washer. Can you imagine crawling around on that glass looking down at the diners below? Glad it's not my job!
Below, my only photo of the WallaceCollection Cafe, as reflected in the glass ceiling over the former courtyard, also showing the window-washer. Can you imagine crawling around on that glass looking down at the diners below? Glad it's not my job!
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