The Lovely Lady Salisbury

The Duchess of Gordon was a notorious rival of Georgiana's.  However, she wasn't the only Tory hostess Georgiana had to contend with.  Lady Salisbury may not have made it personal with Georgiana like her fellow Tory society hostess, but she packed a few punches.

Mary Amelia (sometimes written as Emily) was a dashing Irish rose.  Reynolds painted her in 1781 seductively slipping on her gloves while on a walk with her hyperactive spaniel (Walkies, walkies?! Let's go, let's go!).  It wasn't only a love for pups that Georgiana had in common with Lady Salisbury, they were both big gamblers and consequently both in large amounts of debt.  Lady Salisbury led the Tory women in canvassing during the 1784 Westminster election, but didn't receive nearly as much press as Georgiana's campaign. In fact, after reading about Lady Salisbury canvassing in March of that year Lady Spencer sent her daughters on mission to outdo the countess.  This would be the same Lady Spencer who begged her two daughters to stop their canvassing a mere two months later.

Unlike Georgiana, Lady Salisbury lived to a ripe old age.  Madame Guillotine has a fabulous post on her life which you should most certainly check out here.