New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-30
NOT IN PURPLE BORN.
DUCHESsES WHO HAVE NOT THE BLUE
BLOOD CHARACTERISTIC OF
THEIR RANK.

OF all the European titles OF nobility. there
"a none that Is Of greater Importance and dig
nity than that Of duke. Dukes and their duch-
esses rank Immediately next to royalty even
above princes and princesses not OF the oiooo'
and so few in number are they compared with
the other bearers of titular distinctions that the
nossession Of the strawberry-leaf coronet is
generally held to indicate ancient lineage and
the bluest Of blood. Duchesses In particular
are generally supposed to be very august per-
sonages the personiication OF everything that
IS high-bred People are accustomed 10 picture
tbeu, as Of mature age stately and majestic
IN carriage with tendency toward aquilinity
Of nose and an inclination to embonpoint And
this popular impression has been confirmed by
the types Of duchesses portrayed by the artist
Du Maurier in Punch
It will therefore create some surprise when
q is known that the majority Of duchesses are
young instead Of elderly good-looking and
elegant instead Of Anticipated. and above all OF
olebeian rather than of aristocratic birth. Espe-
cially is this the case in France and In Spain'
although there are a number Of cases where
English dukes have married the daughters or
commoners. Thus the maiden name or the
Dowager Duchess Of st. Adams. who died re"
months AGO was Gubbins and the first wife or
her husband was Harriet Mellon. the actress.
The present Duchess Of ST. Adams was Miss
Osborne The Dowager Duchess OF Manchester
was a daughter of an Irish gentleman bearing
the not very distinguished name OF Dobbs Inc
present Duchess Of Manchester was likewise
untitled prior to her marriage. having been
Miss Yznaga. OF Louisiana, while that other
American-born English Duchess Her Grace Of
Marlborough. is daughter OF the late CoInmo-
dore Cicero Price. Of the United States Navy.
offs hprl M
the child Of an oxford don. DR.. Richard Michel
nv name The late Duchess of Grafton was the
daughter of a commoner. and so. too, are the
two Duchesses Of Newcastle. we'll as their
graces Of Portland and Of Bedford: while when
tho Earl OF Euston succeeds to his fathers
peerage there will be yet another Duchess OF
untitled parentage. By reason Of her unfortu-
nate antecedents she will prove sorry acces-
sion to the number Of wearers Of strawberry
leaves.
In France there is even a still larger number
Of duchesses who are Indebted to marriage
alone for their admission to the aristocracy.
Thus the wife Of that young Due de Decazes,
who Is now mentioned one Of the principal
leutenants Of the Due d'Orleans In France, Is
a Miss Singer, daughter Of the inventor Of the
sewing machine of that name. The Duchesse de
Rivol Is an adopted daughter Of the Partisan
banker Charles Heine. and may be described
as twice Duchess her first husband having |
been General Due dFlchingen. who committed |
suicide in such tragic and mysterious manner |
some ten years ago IN one of the suburbs OF
Paris Heine Is also the maiden name of the |
widow of the Due de Richelieu. who has since |
become Princess Of Monaco Even now she re- |
mains Duchess. for her present husband pos
sesses the French Duledom Of Valentinois as
one Of his minor dignities She born at
New Orleans and is the only consort Of reign
ing Prince who is Of Hebrew birth. The Ouch
esse and Prncesse de Wagram Is the
daughter Of one Of the Frankfort Rothschilds.
and So too, Is the wife Of the Due De Grammont.
The Duchesse de Cadagne rejoiced prior to her
marriage in the somewhat plebean name OF
Joest. while the Duchesse de Montebelo was a
Mile. Daguilhon, and Of very bourgeois extrac-
ton. The charming young Duchesse de Morny
Is daughter Of General Guzman Banco the
former President Of the Republic Of Venezuela.
The late Duchesse de Montmorency was
daughter Of the Spanish banker Aguado. The
charming young Duchesse de la Rochefoucaud
Is q daughter Of the American Senator Mitchell.
while her mother-n-law. the Dowager Duchess,
Is Of exceedingly humble origin and antece-
dents Nor did the Duchesse de Dino bear any
title prior to her present marriage being a
York Another French Duchess Of American
birth Is Madame de Praslin whose maiden name
was Forbes and whose husband IS the son OF
that Duke who committed suicide in prison
while detained there under charge OF having
murdered his wife. The Duchesse dAudifret-
Pasquier is the daughter Of a receiver OF taxes
called Fontenillat the heir 10 the Dukedom Of
Bassano is married to a Miss Symes. Of Quebec
while the Duchesse de Berghes was Mile
Selliere. Several more names could be added
10 this list I'm order to show how few Of the
French duchesses have been. so to speak,
born in the purple"
In Germany ard Austria. owing to the strict
Jules that govern TIE marriages Of the media !
is TO say. formerly reigning families
rules which prohibit matrimonial alliances J
ave of a morganatc character with any wo ,
nan not either of royal rank or belonging TO ,
he highest grades of the nobility there are I
scarcely any Of duchesses Of plebeian S
birth the only instance that l can recall at the
present moment being that OF the Duchess of 4
3ielitz, who prior TO her marriage. was either :
IN actress circus ride" OF the name Of Ida )
Jaeger Her husband is perhaps better known
" his name Of Prince Sulkowsk and Is noto- S
ious throughout Europe for his eccentric!ties
IS well as for the number Of lawsuits which u
lie has brought against his present wife with the ,
bject Of securing The dissolution Of his mar a
iage. lie has been twice locked up in in L
ane asylum. effect!ng hi4 escape each time In K
IN extremely sensational manner. In both {
russia and Austria he possesses by virtue Of I
is immense estates q seat in the Chamber Of a
'eers but whereas In the former Kingdom he
held TO be perfectly sane and in his right
mind by the courts. in the dominions Of EN-
error Francis Joseph he is on the contrary
mcially stirmatzed lunatic The Duke I {
nay add had been married before to his sisters y
overness, lady of the name OF Victorine Leh-
lann. This lady he eloped with not because
G loved her but solely with the avowed pur-
ose OF annoying his father That he was sue