Helen Venetia (née Duncombe), Viscountess D'Abernon
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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Helen Venetia (née Duncombe), Viscountess D'Abernon
after Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland
lithograph, 1900 or before
15 in. x 11 in. (380 mm x 279 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1971
Reference Collection
NPG D23366
Sitterback to top
- Helen Venetia (née Duncombe), Viscountess D'Abernon (1866-1954), Society hostess; wartime nurse anaesthetist; wife of 1st Viscount d'Abernon; daughter of 1st Earl of Feversham. Sitter in 6 portraits.
Artistback to top
- (Marion Margaret) Violet Manners (née Lindsay), Duchess of Rutland (1856-1937), Artist; wife of 8th Duke of Rutland. Artist or producer associated with 71 portraits, Sitter in 12 portraits.
Events of 1900back to top
Current affairs
The Conservatives return to power, after the Prime Minister Lord Salisbury calls a general election, known as the 'Khaki election', on the back of huge jingoistic support for the Boer War.The Labour Representation Committee (LRC) is founded from a coalition of socialist groups; they win two seats in the 1900 election and Ramsay Macdonald is appointed secretary. The Labour politician Keir Hardie is also returned to Parliament for Merthyr Tydfilin Wales.
Art and science
German physicist Max Planck proposes the concept of the quantum theory. Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams is published. In the text, Freud outlines his theory of dream analysis, crucial to the study of the unconscious, and introduces key concepts in psychoanalysis, such as the Ego.The Paris International Exhibition, attended by more than 50 million people and including over 76,000 exhibitors, marks the heyday of Art Nouveau.
International
In China the Boxer rebellion takes place. The Boxers were anti-imperialist and against foreign influence in trade, religion, politics and technology in the final years of the Manchu rule. The Boxers invade Beijing, killing 230 foreigners and Chinese Christians. The rebellion is suppressed by a multinational coalition of 20,000 troops, with China being forced to pay large war reparations, contributing to growing nationalist resentment against the Qing dynasty.Comments back to top
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Mrs Margaret Gibson
09 March 2016, 21:08
I have an identical sketch entitled 'Lady Helen Vincent' bequeathed to me along with drawings by Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland, of Sir Rennell Rodd and Lady Wantage.
They are framed and must have been acquired long ago. I was given to believe they are originals but know no more except that the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery Bournemouth also has a number of these sketches.
Scott Thomas Buckle
03 April 2017, 14:02
Lithographs of Violet, Duchess of Rutland's portraits are often mistaken for pencil drawings. The Watts Gallery were recently given over forty of the original drawings that were in the possession of the artist's grandson, John Julius Norwich, including a self-portrait of Violet, and a portrait of Harry Cust. The image size of these original pencil portrait heads is about 30% larger than that of the lithographic copies. The portraits of Lady Helen Vincent, Sir Rennell Rodd and Lady Wantage were all reproduced as lithographs for her publication "Portraits of Men and Women" in 1900. Whilst overall paper sizes of these lithographic copies can vary, the actual image size is constant; in the case of the portrait of Lady Helen Vincent, the printed image measures 165mm from the top of the sitter's head to the lowest point of the reproduced drawing. Reproductions in other mediums may be smaller, but an original pencil drawing of this subject would be a few centimetres larger than the dimension given above for the lithograph.