Social Victorians/People/Colebrooke

Also Known As

• Family name: hers, Paget; his, Colebrooke, sometimes misspelled as Colebrook
• Baron Colebrooke
  • Edward Arthur Colebrooke, 1st and last Baron Colebrooke (20 February 1906 – 28 February 1939)

Timeline

1889 June 17, Alexandra Harriet Paget and Edward Arthur Colebrooke married.

1897 July 2, Friday, Alexandra Harriet Paget Colebrooke attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House.

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball

Alexandra Harriet (née Paget), Lady Colebrooke in costume as Roxana. ©National Portrait Gallery, London.

The wedding of Alexander and Roxane, engraving by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899)

At the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball, Alexandra Harriet Paget Colebrooke (at 246) was in the Duchess procession or the "Oriental" procession.

Lafayette's portrait of "Alexandra Harriet (née Paget), Lady Colebrooke as Roxana" in costume is photogravure #86 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Lady Alexandra Colebrooke as Roxana."

Roxana was one of the wives of Alexander the Great. Her wedding and marriage have been idealized in art through the centuries, as it seems to be here in this portrait of Alexandra Colebrooke. Her sister-in-law Minnie Paget — Mrs. Arthur Paget — was dressed as Cleopatra for the ball.

The engraving (right) by illustrator Andre Castaigne was for a November 1898 – October 1899 series about Alexander the Great, so it was produced after the ball and Alexandra Colebrooke is not likely to have seen it before the ball.

Demographics

• Nationality: British

Family

• Alexandra Harriet Paget (1865 – 19 October 1944)
• Ned (Edward Arthur) Colebrooke, 1st and last Baron Colebrooke (12 October 1861 – 28 February 1939)

1. Hon. Mary Sydney Colebrooke ()
2. Hon. Bridget Colebrooke (29 Jan 1892 – 27 Jan 1975)
3. Hon. Guy Edward Colebrooke (c. 1894 – after 22 Jan 1921)

Questions and Notes

1. Did Ned (Edward Arthur) Colebrook attend the ball?
2. Alexandra Paget Colebrooke may be part of the social network this party represents because of her family of origin: she was a Paget, and other Pagets were at the ball as well.