81 / 462
99
●
PAUL CÉSAR HELLEU
La Duchesse de Marlborough, Consuelo Vanderbilt
.
Color drypoint, circa 1901. 400x295 mm; 15
3
/
4
x11
5
/
8
inches, full margins. Signed in pencil,
lower left. A superb, richly-inked impression.
Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877-1964) was born in New York City, the daughter of William
KissamVanderbilt, a railroad millionaire, and Alva Erskine Smith, a socialite from Mobile,
Alabama. Her mother was adamant about Consuelo, a ravishing young beauty, marrying
the most eligible and highest-ranking suitor, and forced her to wed Charles Spencer-
Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (their introduction was arranged by Lady Paget, an
infamous matchmaker known for connecting American heiresses to British noblemen).
The marriage, while socially advantageous for Consuelo (and monetarily advantageous
for Marlborough, whose family was near-bankrupt before the marriage), ultimately did
not last; the pair separated in 1906 and divorced in 1921. Consuelo nevertheless
maintained ties with several of her former Churchill relatives, most notably withWinston
Churchill, who was a frequent visitor to her château outside of Paris.
[2,000/3,000]
100
●
JAMES JACQUES TISSOT
L’Été
.
Etching and drypoint on cream laid paper, 1878. 376x208 mm; 14
3
/
4
x8
3
/
8
inches, full
margins. Edition of approximately 100. A superb, dark and early impression with strong
contrasts and with all the fine lines distinct.Wentworth 43.
[1,500/2,500]
99
100