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Lady Idina Gordon
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Lady Idina Gordon
Lady Idina Gordon pictured in 1921, the elder daughter of the late Lord De La Warr. After her first marriage to Euan Wallace, Idina married Captain Charles Gordon in 1919 and for some time after their marriage lived in British East Africa. She divorced Gordon and married Josslyn Hay, Earl of Errol in 1923. Five-times married Idina would gain notoriety as part of the Happy Valley Set when she moved to Kenya in 1924 with her third husband, Josslyn Hay, Earl of Errol. With her serial marriages and reputation for debauched decadence, she inspired the character of The Bolter in Nancy Mitfords novels, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, Evelyn Waughs Vile Bodies and the character Iris Storm in The Green Hat by Michael Arlen. Date: 1921
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Media ID 14126281
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Bolter Errol Gordon Idina Infamous Josslyn Mischief Notorious 1921
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In this evocative black-and-white portrait, Lady Idina Gordon, eldest daughter of the late Lord De La Warr, is captured in 1921, a year before she would become an integral part of one of the most notorious and infamous chapters in British social history. At the time of this photograph, Lady Idina was still married to her second husband, Captain Charles Gordon. However, their union would not last long, and in 1919, she would marry Josslyn Hay, Earl of Errol, and the pair would move to British East Africa. The couple's time in Africa marked the beginning of Lady Idina's reputation for debauched decadence and white mischief. She and her new husband became central figures in the Happy Valley Set, a group of British expatriates living in Kenya known for their hedonistic lifestyle and disregard for societal norms. Lady Idina's serial marriages, scandalous behavior, and scandalous relationships would inspire numerous literary characters, including The Bolter in Nancy Mitford's novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, and Iris Storm in Michael Arlen's The Green Hat. Despite the controversy surrounding her, Lady Idina's image continues to captivate and intrigue, offering a glimpse into a bygone era of white mischief, historical intrigue, and the allure of the infamous. This portrait, taken in 1921, stands as a testament to a woman who defied convention and left an indelible mark on history.
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