Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
(1817-1888), Art patron and writer on needlework; first wife of John Hume Cust, Viscount Alford; daughter of 2nd Marquess of NorthamptonSitter in 9 portraits
Daughter of the 2nd Marquess of Northampton, Lady Alford's childhood was spent in Rome, a city she remained attached to and made frequent trips to throughout her life. The influence of Renaissance painting and Victorian romanticism can be seen in her watercolours. In 1851, she became the wealthy aristocratic widow of John Hume Cust, which afforded her the opportunity to become a generous patron of the arts. In 1866 she published Needlework as Art, writing about the history of needlework and raising its profile from craft to a high art form. She also helped to establish the Royal School of Needlework, with its president Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Camille Silvy
albumen print, 1860
NPG Ax50298
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Camille Silvy
albumen print, 24 September 1862
NPG Ax61468
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Camille Silvy
albumen print, 24 September 1862
NPG Ax61469
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Louisa Anne Beresford
watercolour and pencil, 30 August 1887
NPG D23146(10)
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Camille Silvy
albumen carte-de-visite, 1860
NPG Ax9536
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Camille Silvy
albumen print, 1860
NPG Ax128921
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by Camille Silvy
albumen print, 1860
NPG Ax129029
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by George Zobel, after Thomas Brooker
mezzotint, 1863
NPG D49387
Marianne Margaret Egerton (née Compton), Viscountess Alford ('Lady Marian Alford')
by George Zobel, printed by Thomas Brooker, published by Paul and Dominic Colnaghi, Scott & Co, after Paul and Dominic Colnaghi, Scott & Co
mezzotint, published 7 July 1863
NPG D49388
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.