Dropping In

For those in search of Georgiana today, take a step over to 18th Century History.com where I am lucky enough to have a guest post up where I gab about the long-lost Devonshire House.

Searching for Georgiana in London

The Ton: A Unit of Measuring Notoriety

So what exactly is the ton? The tag has been on this blog forever but I do not think I ever took the time to explain what exactly the ton is. I've found varying sources on the origin of the name. Amanda Foreman states that it means "The World" whereas other sources take to its literal french translation which means "taste." Sometimes this would be proceed by "bon," so le bon ton, "the good taste." Both of those translations accurately convey what the ton was.

The ton was an elite group of high society. They were the popular kids in high school. They decided what was in and what was out. In essence, the ton decided what was in good taste and their decisions affected the fashionable world. Think: Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. This didn't just mean fashion, in meant plays, artists, and especially people. Just as with the popular cliques in high school, people both made fun of the silliness of the ton and wanted to become part of it. Members were both friends and enemies and frenemies.

The leading matriarch of the ton when Georgiana first became the Duchess of Devonshire was Lady Melbourne. She gracefully stepped down and allowed Georgiana to take her place as leader of the ton, figuring someone young, full of energy, and more importantly, naive, would be more apt at the position. The position meant hosting many social social events and allowing themself to be the most publically scrutinized of the group. Georgiana rose to the challenge and quickly established herself as having an eye for the next fad; whether that was feathers or fiddlers.

Back, and with Plenty of Gossip

I just arrived back home last night from a fabulous time in London. As usual, there was too much to do; we did so much but not enough. Now I'm back to the daunting task of catching up in the blogging world. There are so many things I can't wait to tell you about and I wish I could blurt them all out now but that wouldn't make for much of a read so hopefully they will be up soon.

For now I will leave you with this. This building, by my calculations (I was extremely jet-lagged when I took this picture) is what has replaced Devonshire House. Its facade is where the imposing brick wall entrance would have been, with the house sitting further back on the block. If Devonshire House was still here today perhaps the Green Park Tube stop may have been called Devonshire House!

Devonshire House

Devonshire House was not just a fantastic mansion, it was an elite social club and a state of mind. It was the be all and end all of the ton, a gathering place for Whigs, and where Georgiana spent most of her life.

Before I get into that, I would like to talk about the more physical aspects of the Devonshire House. It was built on the site of Berkeley House, the home of the most conniving (and kind of bitchy) of King Charles II's mistresses, Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland. It was in prime location on Piccadilly Street, across from Green Park. Anyone who has been to London has likely walked past its ghost; before it was demolished (in 1925), Devonshire House was located across from the present day Ritz Hotel. The building was huge and aesthetically unappealing. Worst of all it had a massive brick wall encircling it which clashed with the architectural line of Piccadilly and attracted only graffiti.

Many complained of the ugliness of the structure in the wittiest of ways but what mostly interested people was what was on the inside. Devonshire House had one of the greatest collections of art and some of the grandest rooms, in both size and decor. However it was the people inside that was of the most curiosity. Not only was the leading lady celebrity housed behind it's doors, but all her friends, the ton. The Devonshire House circle consisted of the young, rich, talented and snobby with people such as Charles Fox, the Prince of Wales, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and too many others to name. They were the coolest social club and Devonshire House was their clubhouse, perfect for dancing and gambling and any other debauchery one could think of. Devonshire House remained a great place for entertainment up into the Victorian Age; Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Ball was celebrated in the house's ornate public rooms.

With the demolition of the house, we loose a stunning visual into the life of Georgiana, her friends and family; as well as an important puzzle piece in the social structure of London high society.