The Evening critic., 1882-07-31
Some Fashionable beauties.


The "professional beauty" is no new tea.
ture of the London season; and though pho.
Biography has no doubt done much to give pub
licity to the charms OF the loveliest women in
the ranks of fashion, yet In the days OF our
great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers
gar curiosity and gossip as they do now Take
for example, the Cummings, Maria and Eliza
beth, who appeared at the court OF George II,
both without q shillingto their dowry. '|rhey
are declared" writes walpole, ITO be tho
handsomest women alive; they can't walk In
follow them that are generally driven away"
One day they went to see Hampton Court; as
they were going into the Beauty Room an
other party arrived; the housekeeper, in state
OF great excitement, said to the newcomers:
"This way, ladies, here are the famous beau.
ties!" The Misses Cunning thereupon new
into passion, and asked her what she meant;
they went to SEQ the palace, and not to be
shown ms sight themselves.
The youngest OF the two sisters became the
Wife OF James, Duke or Hamilton; he fell In
love with her at masquerade, and fort.
night later met her at an assembly In Lord
Chesterfields goigeous new house In Mayfair.
His Grace was so onamored OF the lovely Eliz-
abeth that he left the faro table, where he had
staked thousand guineas, and "let the game
slide while he paid devoted court to his en-
chantress. Two nights later; at half an hour
past midnight, they were married by DR.. Keith
with the ring OF a bed.curtain In Mayfair
Chapel, one Of tho most hasty and eccentric
weeks Maria Cunning followed her SIS
ters example, and was welded TO Lord Coven-
try, though not with such indecent haste as In
the other case.
The two beauties were oven greater objects
| OF popular curiosity after their marriages
| than before. When the Duchess OF Hamilton
was presented the crowd at the drawing room
| was go great that even "noble persons
clambered upon chairs and tables to look at
her, while m9bs gathered round the doors OF
| the two "goddesses" to SEQ them get into their
| sedan'chairs and such crowds nocked to SEQ
the Dutchess when she went to her castle that
| 700 persous sat up all night In n Yorkshire
| town In order to SOC her start In her post
| chalse the next morning
Lady Coventry was equally run after. At
| Worcester shoemaker made two guineas and
| half by showing, at penny head. tho shoe
| which he was making for the Countess. Sho
| had, however, little but her beauty to recon.
| mend her. II was she who made tho singular
maladrolt remark TO his Majesty that the one
| sight she longed TO SEQ was coronation. Her
husband, who was q sensible man In many re-
| Bpects, though somewhat OF bear In man
ners, objected strongly TO her ladyship's OK
cessiye use OF red and white powders aud
paints ana once at n large dinner party, sus
pecting that she had been "making her
self up" he chased his wife around tho ta
BILE TIL he caught her, whom, before al
the company, he scrubbed hor face with O
napkin. When Lady Coventry visited Paris
she expected that her beauty would meet Will
the applause which had followed her and hei
sister through England, bu: she was put Y
| flight by another English lady still NOR,
lovely In the eyes OF tho Parisians. certair
Mrs. Pitt took box at tho opera opposite tn,
Countess, and was 30 much handsomer thar
her ladyship that the pdrterTe cried out tina
this was tho real English angel whereupor
Lady Coventry quilted Paris In q hun. No
long afterward sho died OF consumption, nc
CELEBRATED, II was said, by tho red and whit
paint with which she plastered those luckles
charms OF hers.