What Would Georgie Do?

I just moved into a new apartment this semester and it was instantly a perfect excuse to invite my friends over and have a good time. I brought it up with my best friend (since elementary school!) and she acted like it was a fun idea. Now, however I found out that she is also throwing a party the same day! We both have different circles of friends nowadays but still, I am a bit put off that she would snub me that way. So I want to stay classy about it all and was just wondering how Georgiana would handle this type of situation. Sincerely, Rattled in Raleigh


This sort of thing was not an unusual problem for Georgiana. In fact the Duchess of Gordon would sometimes purposely hold parties or balls to compete with a party Georgiana was throwing, just to be the vindictive tart that we know she is. Of course, being the popular Duchess that she was, sometimes even friends' parties would overlap the ones Georgiana would throw. Doing it on purpose though, now that's a Lady Jersey move! Georgiana herself was non-confrontational, and in this case nothing good will come from a confrontation.
You should remember the task at hand: being a fabulous hostess. Make some fun and delicious finger foods, start decorating, and rearrange your apartment so there is good chi in the room. In the end, you fabulous hostess skills will say more than sharp words will!

I'm no advice columnist, and I know Georgiana can't be channeled through me, but if you have a fun question you'd like to submit to What Would Georgie Do? please email it to GeorgianaGossip@gmail.com with "What Would Georgie Do?" in the subject line. Or if you have a question better intended for the Queen of France, email MarieAntoinetteGossip@gmail.com

Devonshire Progeny: Harryo

When Georgiana gave birth to her second child in 1785 everything was set up grandly for the birth of the Devonshire heir. What came out was another girl, to be named after her aunt, Harriet; although she would henceforth almost always be referred to as 'Harryo.' Not only was a girl born but a typical middle child. Harryo lacked the physical charms of her famous mother. She may have been fashionably pale but she lacked her mother's figure and her chubbiness was constantly commented on. She also decided to lack her mother's love of fashion, but this was more an act of defiance. In fact, Harryo seemed to be more cynical and perhaps a little bitter than her siblings Little G and Hart were. What physical charms Harryo lacked she made up with her cleverness and intelligence. Many would comment through the years on her interesting conversation and obvious smarts. Put all these aspects together and we have some very interesting perspectives on living with the Devonshires. We also have a big Bess-hater. All in all, Harryo's appeal and complexity lies in her contemporary edge. Clearly, she was born in the wrong century.

Every Cavendish reacted to their mother's exile in a different way. Harryo reacted with typical teenage bitchiness. She managed to make peace with her mother before her death in 1806 but afterward was left feeling alone and isolated. To make matters worse she was trapped in her home without her siblings and with her father and...Bess. Bess whom Harryo claimed to always hate despite her always being around. To make matters worse, Bess took over Georgiana's place, sitting at the head of the table; a position reserved for the next lady of the household, not the head of the household's mistress. Aunt Harriet took pity on Harryo and spent more time with her to rescue her from her bad home life. Bess was also attempting to aid Harryo in finding a husband. Bess' choice was Granville Leveson-Gower, a man who had been involved with Harriet and was the father of two of her children. Harryo sneered at the match, despite Granville's good looks. Instead, she went through a series of other suitors, the first being Harriet's son, John. Just as Harryo began to fall in love with the cousin he became interested in Lady Jersey's daughter, Elizabeth. Harriet, hating the idea of becoming in laws with such a woman, tried to convince him to go for his cousin.

Eventually, John's indecisiveness lost him the option of Harryo who moved on to various other suitors including other cousins and friends of her brother. But it all came back to her aunt's boyfriend, Granville. The tall dark and handsome had taken an interest in the short and "stout" Cavendish spinster but she still talked about him with disdain. Although, it was becoming apparent that this disdain was only a facade to mask her true feelings. The truth was Harryo attempted to hate him because she knew he was attached to Aunt Harriet. One time Bess was giving a dinner with the Bessboroughs and invited Granville too. Lord Bessborough and his youngest son showed up but all waited for Harriet and Granville to appear. Things became more and more awkward while everyone waited and Bess continued to wink at Harryo across the table. Finally, a note came saying neither would show up. The men were cranky but Bess and Harryo were enraged, knowing the cause of the no-shows.

Eventually Granville began showing more interested in Harryo (after all he needed a wife) than in Harriet. At first Harriet was unhappy with this, but she slowly began to realize she would rather have him marry someone she loved than any ol' snotty heiress. After a roller coaster of a courtship Granville nervously got on one knee and asked Harryo to be his wife, and she gladly accepted. Granville and Harriet were never to renew their romantic relationship again, but she forever remained his trusted friend and correspondent. Harryo quickly began having children and even accepted her aunt's illegitimate children with her husband into her family where they were raised lovingly. Granville continued to get ambassador positions across Europe, including Paris and the Hague, good thing Harryo was fluent in other languages! In the end, Harryo turned out to be quite like her mother, hosting fabulous get-togethers in whatever city she was stationed in and inspiring all with her intriguing conversation.

Now Even Martha Washington Has to Live Up to Supermodel Standards?

From Jezebel:

Apparently historical women figures have to be hot in order for us to be interested in them. Well, that is according to the Washington Post. I know I am not one to talk seeing as The Duchess of Devonshire was a babe, but that isn't why I'm attracted to her. Her human nature appeals to me. She had eating disorders, was addicted to gambling, was passionate and involved in politics, and also took an interest in science while balancing being a fabulous fashionable trend-setter who was also an attentive mother. I'm more attracted to the fact that Georgiana bent the rules and took risks than the fact that she was a hotty. Actually, her contemporaries, including her mother never claimed her to be a great beauty.

So why does Martha Washington have to be one?

As Sadie at Jezebel asserts, The Washington Post kind of dumbs down their article in order to make Martha seem cool. Isn't that what you did in high school to fit in too? Dumb yourself down? They talk about her wedding shoes being fabulous (which they are, I won't deny) and then goes into a flurry of explanation saying she wasn't always an old frumpy lady. Umm we believe it, there are some gorgeous portraits to prove it (see right). But no, this isn't good enough, now scientists are working on a computer generated image of what Martha would look like in her mid-20's, to prove she was a hottie. They also go into detail about how she must have been skinny because her dresses were blablablabla...Is this why the emaciated Kiera Knightly was chosen to portray Georgiana in The Duchess? Now even women from the past have to meet our contemporary standards of beauty in order for us to have a remote interest in them? Is that also why The Duchess focuses on Georgiana's not very interesting affair rather than her accomplishments? Sad sad.

I'm all for getting people interested in history and it figures but are we so sad that this is what has to be done? Poor Martha, I think she would rather people were interested in her for her, not so they could paint hot interpretations of what she looked like in her 20's.

He's Not Such A Bad Guy!

Ya know, poor Canis gets a bad rep. And while I'm not saying he wasn't a big jerk, I can say he wasn't constantly one. Many of Georgiana's letters make the Duke of Devonshire out to be a normal guy. Although you do sense a bit of an awkwardness in his letters he doesn't come off as the Ice King all the time. In a letter to Georgiana in 1775 he scolds her for not writing to him enough, "What a naughty little wretch you are..." While this shows his need for doting female attention, as Foreman talks about in the biography, it also is kind of cute at the same time!

I really like this letter Georgiana wrote to her mother in 1784 because it shows the Duke's sense of humour:

"The Duke made us laugh very much by teazing Cl Crawfurd, who is very lazy, in trying to make him run up the hill. Cl Crawfurd is, you know, very gallant and had been saying all matter of fine things to Ly Eliz [Bess], so the Duke threw her whip down the steepest part of the hill that he might fetch it, but his gallantry did not reach so far for he would not go..."

I hope Bess had to pick up her whip herself.