Ottoline morrell biography examples

Lady Ottoline Morrell was what modern jargon would call a facilitator, and the Edwardians called a patroness.

Name variations: Lady Ottoline Morrell. May 18, , Hugh died three days later. Successfully campaigned on behalf of husband Philip Morrell for Parliament ; held salon on Bedford Square, London —15 ; began affair with Augustus John ; began affair with Henry Lamb ; met Lytton Strachey ; began affair with Bertrand Russell ; bought Garsington Manor ; met D.

Lady Ottoline Morrell was indeed a lady, a titled English aristocrat who spurned her illustrious lineage to become a patron of budding literary and artistic talents of the early 20th century. She was eccentric, flamboyant, possessive, generous, and unconventional, a tall, imposing figure dressed in gaudy, rather disheveled, ornate costumes that drew curious stares even on the streets of London.

A descendant of two old, eminent noble families, the Cavendishs and the Bentincks, Ottoline's father was in line to become duke of Portland, to inherit vast estates in England and Scotland, as well as the family manor of Welbeck. However, he died unexpectedly in , when Ottoline was four years old, and her half-brother Arthur assumed the title.

Ottoline lived at Welbeck with her mother and three older brothers, Henry, William, and Charles, until the duke married in Largely ignored by her considerably older siblings, Morrell recalled that she never felt "gay.

Lady Ottoline Morrell was a hostess and patron of the arts who brought together some of the most important writers and artists of her day.

Despite the advantages of wealth and social status, Ottoline was a lonely child. Her maids dressed and groomed her, and governesses educated her. But her early life was not restricted to Welbeck; in London, Ottoline and her mother frequented the theater, opera, and art galleries. Exposure to culture and weekly dance lessons were designed to prepare Ottoline for marriage into an aristocratic family of equal rank.

But "the utter vapidity of the life of an upper-class lady" that Morrell witnessed at Welbeck influenced her future decisions. After the duke's marriage, Ottoline and her mother Baroness Bolsover moved to St. The baroness was in poor health, and for several years Morrell nursed her while managing their households and traveling to various health spas and clinics on the Continent.