Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this talk to mark International Women’s Day curator Suzanne Higgott will discuss the life and legacy of Lady Wallace, the shy, enigmatic French woman who bequeathed the Wallace Collection to the nation.
Born in Paris in 1819 to unmarried parents in humble circumstances, she was named Julie. At twenty-one Julie had a son with Richard Wallace, whom she was not to marry until 1871, more than thirty years later. Following their marriage and move to England, Julie spent the last twenty-five years of her life at Hertford House, now home to the Wallace Collection.
Projected to prominence through Sir Richard’s philanthropy, she spoke little English and was ill-suited to British high society. Recent research has shed new light on Lady Wallace’s remarkable life and fluctuating posthumous reputation.
Discover more about the history of the Collection here: wallacecollection.org/art/collection/history-collection
Find out more about Lady Wallace and her remarkable legacy in Suzanne Higgott's recent article, "Unmasking an Enigma: Who Was Lady Wallace and What Did She Achieve?": 19.bbk.ac.uk
Wallace Collection Shop: wallacecollectionshop.org/products/sir-richard-wallace-connoisseur-collector-philanthropist?_pos=2&_sid=4c405675d&_ss=r
In this talk to mark International Women’s Day curator Suzanne Higgott will discuss the life and legacy of Lady Wallace, the shy, enigmatic French woman who bequeathed the Wallace Collection to the nation.
Born in Paris in 1819 to unmarried parents in humble circumstances, she was named Julie. At twenty-one Julie had a son with Richard Wallace, whom she was not to marry until 1871, more than thirty years later. Following their marriage and move to England, Julie spent the last twenty-five years of her life at Hertford House, now home to the Wallace Collection.
Projected to prominence through Sir Richard’s philanthropy, she spoke little English and was ill-suited to British high society. Recent research has shed new light on Lady Wallace’s remarkable life and fluctuating posthumous reputation.
Discover more about the history of the Collection here: wallacecollection.org/art/collection/history-collection
Find out more about Lady Wallace and her remarkable legacy in Suzanne Higgott's recent article, "Unmasking an Enigma: Who Was Lady Wallace and What Did She Achieve?": 19.bbk.ac.uk
Wallace Collection Shop: wallacecollectionshop.org/products/sir-richard-wallace-connoisseur-collector-philanthropist?_pos=2&_sid=4c405675d&_ss=r
