Lady Ottoline Morrell

 
Lady Ottoline Morrell, with Philip Morrell and their daughter, Julian
by Cavendish Morton, c. 1911

Ottoline Violet Anne Cavendish-Bentinck was born on 16 June 1873 at No 5, Portman Square in London. She was the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Bentinck and her brother later succeeded as the 6th Duke of Portland whereby she and her siblings received titles due to the children of a Duke. Lady Ottoline married Philip Morrell, a solicitor, in 1902. He became a Liberal MP for South Oxfordshire in 1906. In the same year they moved to 44 Bedford Square where their daughter Julian was born. From 1908 Ottoline began her "At Homes". Their house was in the heart of Bloomsbury and it became a centre for bohemian and literary gatherings.

Between 1915 and 1927 they lived mainly at Garsington Manor in Oxfordshire where many of her photographs were taken. With its Italianate garden and surrounding fields, it became a refuge for conscientious objectors during the war years. Ottoline's striking looks, force of personality, stature and dress sense inspired many remarkable painted and literary portraits. These include works by Augustus John, Henry Lamb and Duncan Grant to fictional representations by Graham Greene, Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence, Osbert Sitwell and Virginia Woolf.

Links
- Bloomsbury and Beyond: Ottoline Morrell Portraits and Snapshots
- The Lady Ottoline Morrell Albums at the NPG
- Portraits of Lady Ottoline Morrell Albums in the NPG Collections
- Friends of the National Libraries website

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All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 21 August 2008