Socialites Collection

Mrs Whighams Ascot Party
A group at a house party held by Mrs George Hay Whigham at her home at Ascot, during Ascot Week. From left, Mr, C. Moore, Miss Margaret Whigham (Mrs Whighams daughter, later the Duchess of Argyll)

Mrs Charles Sweeny as Astrae the Star-Maiden
Mrs Charles Sweeny, formerly Miss Margaret Whigham and later the Duchess of Argyll (1912 - 1993), pictured as Astrae, the Star-Maiden for the Olympian Party at Claridges on 5 March 1935 in aid of

Mrs and Mrs Charles Sweeny at The Embassy Club
Mr and Mrs Charles Sweeny (Mrs Charles Sweeny was formerly Miss Margaret Whigham and later the infamous Duchess of Argyll)

Craven Lodge Fancy Ball
A page from The Tatler, featuring photographs and a report on the Craven Lodge Fancy Ball in Melton, Leicestershire, a New Year party with a prehistoric fancy dress theme

Bridgett Poulett, Jeanne Stourton & Joan Humphreys, Yevonde
Front cover of The Sketch with three portraits of socialites by Madame Yevonde. Top left is Lady Bridgett Poulett, right is Miss Jeanne Stourton and bottom left is Miss Joan Humphreys

Judith Fletcher
A photograph showing Judith Fletcher, a professional photographer, 1886-1971. She was famous for taking portrait shots of famous celebrities and socialites, and can be seen here

Pamela Berry and Diana Duff Cooper
Pamela Berry, Lady Hartwell (1914-1982) and Diana Duff Cooper, Viscountess Norwich (1892-1986), aso known as Lady Diana Manners. Date: 1940

Mrs Christa Brassey
Christa Brassey (1909-1986) was born Dorothea Christa Baronin von Bodenhausen. Here she is being celebrated for her talents as a linguist and aviatrix. Date: 1939

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, with others
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1901-2004) was born Lady Alice Douglas Scott. In 1935 she married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V

A party at Cafe de Paris
Lord Lansdowne (1912-1999), the Hon Deborah Mitford (1920-2014) and the Hon Veronica Fraser (1920-2005) at the Cafe de Paris. Date: 1939

Portrait of a Miss Gebhard
Miss Gebhard, an American whose family appear to have taken residence at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. Date: 1910

Page from The Tatler reporting on the coming out dance of Christine Sekers, daughter of Miki Sekers. The event was held at Syon Park where a nightclub was created by with moss-covered castellated

Familiar Faces, Brilliant Brunettes by Pat Charles
A sextet of well-known society women who happen to have brunette hair. Top left, model Hilary Charles, sister of the artist Pat Charles, top right Lady Pamela Smith, daughter of Lord Birkinhead

Society on the beach at Biarritz
Group of well-known socialites on the beach at fashionable Biarritz. From left, Madame Paul Dubonnet (Jean Nash), frequently referred to as the most stylish woman in Europe

Social celebrities at a dinner in Cairo, 1932
Groups chatting and pulling faces while at dinner at the newly-opened Embassy Club in Cairo. Significant at the far end of the table is Miss Margaret Whigham (later Mrs Charles Sweeny)

Photo of Miss Tallulah Bankhead in the Sketch
Black and white photograph of popular American stage actress Tallulah Bankhead who was celebrating her engagement to Count Anthony de Bosdari. Date: 28th November 1928

A 1920s garden party
Several fashionably-dressed people enjoy a garden party in radiant sunshine. 1927

Ponds Cream advertisement featuring Lady Milbanke
Advertisement for Ponds Cold Cream and Vanishing Cream endorsed by the vivid, gay and utterly charming Lady Milbanke, Australian-born socialite Sheila Chisholm

Mrs Asquith and her baby (Anthony Asquith)
Emma Alice Margaret Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith (nÚÑáTennant; 2 February 1864 28 July 1945), known as Margot Asquith, Anglo-Scottish socialite, author and wit. She was married to H. H

Wedding of Lord Alington and Lady Mary Ashley-Cooper
Black and white photograph of the wedding group of Lord Alington to Lady Mary Ashley-Cooper, eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury, in the Sketch of 3rd December 1928

Wedding of Sir John Milbanke, Bt. and Lady Loughborough
Black and white photograph of the wedding of Sir John Milbanke, Bt. to Lady Loughborough at the Savoy Chapel, London in the Sketch of 21st November 1928. Date: 21st November 1928

Duchess of Argylls ball for her debutante daughter
A spread from The Tatler reporting on the lavish ball held at Claridges by the Duchess of Argyll for her daughter, Miss Frances Sweeny

Mr & Mrs Sweeny kiss each other goodbye
Mrs Charles Sweeny, formerly Miss Margaret Whigham and later Duchess of Argyll (1912-1993) pictured kissing her husband Charles Sweeny goodbye before being presented on her marriage at the third

Sir Robert Throckmorton and Miss Margaret Whigham
Miss Margaret Whigham (1912 - 1993), later Mrs Charles Sweeny and then Duchess of Argyll, pictured at the Dinner of a Hundred Hosts at the Park Lane Hotel during the London Season of 1932

Lady Cranbourne, Mrs Harriman Russell and Lady Diana Cooper holidaying in Palm Beach, Florida

Mrs Adair (Cornelia Wadsworth)
Mrs Adair, formerly American heiress Cornelia Wadsworth, pictured in fancy dress costume in the Empire style for a Fancy Dress ball she gave in 1903

Advertisement for Cannes, French Riviera in the Sketch
Black and white full page advertisement in the Sketch for the resort of Cannes on the French Riviera showing a photo of the boulevard La Croisette at Christmas time

Famous folk in wax in the Sketch
Black and white photographs of famous faces made into waxworks by M Pierre Imans to adorn big shops and stores in Paris to boost sales

Mrs Spencer-Watson and Miss Mary Spencer-Watson
Black and white photograph in the Sketch of Mrs Spencer-Watson and Miss Mary Spencer-Watson as G Arnolfini of Luca and his Wife by J Van Eyck at the Picture Ball given by the Society of

Mrs Ronald Armstrong-Jones in The Sketch
Black and white photograph of Mrs Ronald Armstrong-Jones dressed as Ice and Snow for the Ball of the Midnight Sun organised by Mrs Robin d Erlanger at the Park Lane Hotel

Lady Diana Cooper in The Sketch
Black and white photograph of Lady Diana Cooper dressed as Sir Peter Lelys Diana - complete with greyhounds - at the Picture costume ball held at the Grafton Galleries, London

Miss Nancy Beaton
Black and white photograph of Miss Nancy Beaton in her Air dress for the Tha Ball of the Midnight Sun organised by Mrs Robin d Erlanger at the Park Lane Hotel, London on 22nd November 1928

Sketch cover featuring Barbara Hutton, 1939
Cover of The Sketch magazine featuring Countess Haugwitz-Reventlow, formerly Miss Barbara Hutton (1912-76). Hutton, the Woolworths heiress, dubbed

The Sweeny Family at home, 1938
A series of photographs showing a different domestic side to the glamorous Mr and Mrs Charles Sweeny, pictured at home with their baby daughter Frances (born 1937, later became Frances Manners)

Sayings of Much-Recorded People by Eddie Tatham
Spread from The Bystander 1932 showing some of the scions of 1930s society, and revealing some unrecorded sayings of much-recorded people

Mr Charles Birkin and Miss Margaret Whigham
Miss Margaret Whigham (1912 - 1993), later Mrs Charles Sweeny and then Duchess of Argyll, pictured at the first night of the new revue

Sitters to John Laverys Their Majesties Court
Three of the many sitters included in Their Majesties Court by John Lavery, a painting now lost. The three ladies, painted in their court dress and shown in photograph are, from left

Pres(s)tige by Leo Cheney
A bored socialite or actress lies languidly in a luxurious bed blowing smoke rings and stroking her pet dog as she holds court with a group of journalists

The Duchess of Leinster as the Queen of Silver
Photograph of Agness Rafelle, Duchess of Leinster dressed as the Queen of Silver in the Pageant of British Industries at the British Industries Dinner Ball at the Grosvenor House on 26 February 1935

Sketch cover - Mrs Charles Sweeny as the Queen of Light
Mrs Charles Sweeny, formerly Miss Margaret Whigham and later the Duchess of Argyll (1912 - 1993), pictured as the Queen of Light in the Pageant of Industries at the British Industries Dinner Ball

Emerald Beach Club, Bahamas
At the New Emerald Beach Club, Nassau, Bahamas. The people in this picture were said to be looking for the second coming of Columbus

Bright Young People
Group photograph of William Acton, Mrs Arthur Bendir, Elizabeth Ponsonby, Harry Melville and Babe Plunket-Greene taken at the fancy dress ball hosted by David

Last Port Of Call
Glamorous socialites stopping at a coffee stall to get a night cap

Watching The Rake. By Clark Fay
An impression of the casino at Monte Carlo by Clark Fay. Glamorous socialites playing at the roulette table

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