Social Victorians/People/Walter Murray Guthrie

Also Known As

• Family name: Guthrie
• Murray Guthrie

Organizations

Walter Murray Guthrie

• Eton College
• Trinity Hall, Cambridge
  • Granta
• Conservative politician
• Member of Parliament, House of Commons

Timeline

1894 August 30, Walter Murray Guthrie and Olive Louisa Blanche Leslie married.

1897, Walter Murray Guthrie inherited a castle on the Isle of Mull, Duart House, later called Torosay Castle.

1897 July 2, Friday, Mr. and Mrs. Murray Guthrie attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House.

1914 December 30, Olive Louisa Guthrie married John Alexander Stirling.

1920, Olive Louisa Stirling and John Alexander Stirling divorced.

Walter Murray Guthrie in costume as Cassio. ©National Portrait Gallery, London.

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

Walter Murray Guthrie

At the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball, Mr. Murray Guthrie (at 290) was dressed as Otello in the Italian procession, escorting Mrs. Von André as Desdemona.

Lafayette's portrait of "Walter Murray Guthrie as Cassio" in costume is photogravure #105 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Mr. Murray Guthrie as Cassio," with a Long S in Cassio.

Olive Murray Guthrie

Olive Guthrie in costume as 'La Belle', after Titian. ©National Portrait Gallery, London.

Titian's La Bella

Mrs. Olive Guthrie (at 291) was dressed as

• "La Belle du Titian, wore a costume of peau de soie pale blue silk and pale blue velvet tissé, with relevé of gold; bodice of the same, with bands of blue silk, embroidered gold, the bodice being ornamented with a profusion of diamonds."
• Marguerita Grimani in the Venetians procession.
• "(La Belle de Titian), costume of peau de soie pale blue silk, and pale blue velvet tissé with relevé of gold; bodice of same with bands of blue silk embroidered gold, the bodice ornamented with profusion of diamonds."

Lafayette's portrait of "Olive Louisa Blanche Guthrie (née Leslie, later Stirling) as 'La Belle', after Titian" in costume is photogravure #285 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Mrs Murray Guthrie as 'La Belle', after Titian."

Even though both the Times and the London Morning Post say that Olive Guthrie attended as Marguerita Grimani, she likely had more control over her description in the Album than she ever would over a newspaper article. Maria Margherita Grimani lived 1680–c. 1720.

It is well known that blue is unpredictable when photographed in black and white, but the dark blue of Titian's portrait of "La Bella" makes her costume seem to be only loosely after Titian. Titian's "La Bella" (right) was painted 1536-1538 and moved to Florence from Venice in 1631 with an entire collection, where it seems to have stayed. According to the Uffizi, "a guide written in the end of the eighteenth century described the woman as the painter's 'favorite' or rather his 'Bella', at the time synonymous with beloved."

Demographics

• Nationality: British

Residences

• Torosay Castle, Isle of Mull, Scotland

Family

• Olive Louisa Blanche Leslie (14 September 1872 – 3 July 1945)
• Walter Murray Guthrie (3 June 1869 – 24 April 1911)

1. Bridget Mary Idol Guthrie
2. Virginia Violet Guthrie
3. Patrick Stirling Guthrie (4 August 1895 – 24 May 1932)
4. David Leslie Guthrie (20 August 1901 – )

• Lt.-Col. John Alexander Stirling ( – 28 November 1957)