My Lady Scandalous: The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan

by Jo Manning

Book Overview

In the Sin City of London in the late eighteenth century, partying, whoring and gambling were endemic. Money ruled and anything went - for men. Women, in contrast, had everything to lose, starting with their reputations. Even so, not every woman was cowed by convention. Some, like beautiful Grace Dalrymple Elliott, brazenly did whatever they wished with whomever they pleased - and flourished brilliantly as a result. My Lady Scandalous recreates the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074326262X
• ISBN13: 9780743262620
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 414 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.6" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

My Lady Scandalous about Courtesan Grace Elliott Entertains and Educates About The eighteenth centu

Author ofHow to Negotiate Like a Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes My Lady Scandalous is a delightful history of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, who was one of the three best-known courtesans of her day. As Manning explains, a courtesan chooses her own patrons often for her own pleasure and in exchange is paid large amounts of money. There are two ways to read The Lady Scandalous; one is to read straight through and ignore the various asides and notes the author provides. In my opinion, this is a big mistake because much of the joy of the book is learning about the 18th Century. Jo Manning is a retired research librarian and it shows, in a good way. As a result of reading the notes and asides, I learned a lot about the history of the Elgin Marbles; that cosmetics of the day contained mercury, toxic hallucinogens and lead; that Protestants, including Thomas Jefferson, often sent their children to Convent Schools although he pulled them out when one of his daughters wanted to be a nun; that the first successful hot air balloon flight was made in 1783 in Paris; the differences in the various English titles (duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron,; and how to prepare a body for the guillotine. Manning gives the full flavor of the 18th Century: the arts, the magazines, the architecture, the painters, such as Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, the fashions, the parties, the contraceptives, the status of women, and the legal documrnts like divorces and wills. In addition, I learned a lot of new words such as "the Harleian Miscellany", "ciasbeo" and "d.s.p." The "Harleian Miscellany" is a collection of rare and entertaining pamphlets, etc. found in the library of Edward Harley and known as The Harleian Miscellany. For example, the Lady Harley had so many lovers that her numerous children were referred to as the "Harleian Miscellany." "Ciasbeo" is an admirer of a married woman. "D.s.p." is from the latin "decessit sine prole" means "died without issue." Manning also gives examples of the many synonyms used to describe courtesans, unmarried women, and prostitutes. This story would never have been told if Jo Manning had not seen the movie, The Lady and the Duke, the French film directed by Eric Rohmer, who got the idea for the film after reading a digest of the memoirs of Grace Elliott, Journal of My Life During the French Revolution. This Journal was published through the efforts of Grace's granddaughter, Georgina. The story intrigued Manning and she did her extensive research. As a result, she was also able to include many prints, photographs and drawings which really enhance the book. Grace's daughter, Georgiana Augusta Frederica Elliott, may have been fathered by the Prince of Wales, later to become King George IV. It was estimated that King George III had at least 56 illegitimate grandchildren, who were called "children of the mist." If Grace had been the legal wife of George, Prince of Wales, when she was born, she might even have had

Fascinating biography

This is a thoroughly well-researched and well-written biography of a fascinating personality who lived at one of the most interesting historical periods: England and France during the time of the American and French Revolutions. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves biographies or has a fascination with this period of history.

Top Notch Biography

My Lady Scandalous: The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan by Jo Manning is a delightful work, decidedly unstuffy but very well-researched. For anyone interested in late 18th C. and Regency era England, it is a MUST. The story of Grace Dalrymple Elliott is fascinating and the sidebars on many subjects are always stimulating. Manning should be commended for her organizational skills and by her measured yet lively style. Highly recommended! Victoria Hinshaw

A must for every bookshelf

MLS is a wonderfully sympathetic biography of one of the Regency eras most intriguing courteseans. Grace knew everyone who mattered and everyone "knew" Grace. Or did they? Jo Mannings' detailed and painstaking research uncovers many facts about Grace, members of the Regency Ton and the French Revoluton and presents them in an entertaining and readable format. MLS is simply crammed with period details not readily found in other reference books on the period. MLS sparkles with wit and much humour for period afficiandos "in the know" regarding the period and its players. Truly a must have for the shelves of every reader, writer and fan of the Regency era. Kristine Hughes, author of Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England.

AN ILLUMINATING LOOK AT LIFE IN THE 18TH CENTURY

Jo Manning's biography of the celebrated Georgian-era courtesan Grace Elliott is a tour de force, and the research is impeccable. Not only is it the first full-length biography of this fascinating woman - whose life included many adventures and who may have been an English spy in France during the French Revolution - but it is a microcosm of a glittering age. Grace flourished in the circle of the Prince of Wales (later to become King George IV), a profligate group of gallants (skirt-chasers and rakes) known as the Carlton House Set. Grace had affairs with more than one member of this group, including George James, Lord Cholmondeley (later the Marquess of Cholmondeley, whose beautiful Palladian estate, Houghton Hall, is in Norfolk). Grace's daughter Georgiana, whom she claimed was the daughter of the prince, could well have been Cholmondeley's daughter. (The Prince of Wales had a policy of neither denying nor confirming his illegitimate children.) Cholmondeley raised her and saw that she entered into a prestigious marriage with Lord Charles Bentinck, a son of the wealthy Duke of Portland. Georgiana, alas, died young; it was her only child with Lord Charles, Georgina Cavendish-Bentinck, who brought her grandmother's memoir of the French Revolution, Journal of My Life During the French Revolution, to the eminent Victorian publisher Richard Bentley. That memoir, published in 1859, detailed Grace's harrowing experiences during the Reign of Terror. Once Grace's protector, the very wealthy Duc d'Orleans, was executed - he had changed his colors and supported the French Revolution, styling himself Citoyen Egalite, but it didn't help - she herself was thrown in prison. The French director, Eric Rohmer, made a film, L'Anglaise et le Duc/The Lady and the Duke, from this memoir. Grace Elliott's path in life was perhaps not entirely of her own choosing. She became a courtesan when her husband (more than twice her age) divorced her for adultery in 1776. Used to the good life - and life among the rich in 18th century England was very good, indeed - she turned to the oldest profession to support herself in the style to which she'd become accustomed. She didn't have many options; few women in that era had any options at all. The cover of this book is the Gainsborough portrait-bust (1782) of Mrs. Elliott on display at the Frick Collection in New York City. Another portrait - life-size - by Gainsborough (1778) is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a fabulous look at the 18th century as seen through the life of one of its most glamorous women. Hers is a poignant and memorable story. Highly recommended for readers of historical biography and for anyone interested in the 18th century, this beautifully designed book is fleshed out with numerous informative sidebars, word boxes, and hundreds of illustrations. Manning is also the author of several historical romances and other fiction.