The Enigma of
Venetia Stanley
The "Pole star" of the Edwardian Era—Intellectual, Hedonist, and "Uncertain Prop."
In an era of rigid social codes and impending war, she was a brilliant anomaly. A woman who commanded the obsession of the most powerful men in the Empire, leaving a trail of burned letters and broken hearts in her wake.
How Others Saw Her
H.H. Asquith
The Devotee
"You are the only woman I have known who can think in the real sense... it was born in, & with, you."
"You have been the pole-star of my life."
"Of the last class of mountains… there is no more conspicuous example than Mount Venetia!"
He built a mythic Venetia—his "pole-star" and intellectual equal—comparing her to a dangerous mountain climb ("Mount Venetia") where a false step meant destruction.
Margot Asquith
The Critic
"Deceitful little brute... No music in her!"
"How I loathe girls who can't love but claim and collect like a cuckoo for their own vanity."
"If Venetia had an ounce of truth and candour… I should smile."
She viewed Venetia as predatory and vain, dismissing her as a "cuckoo" who collected people for vanity and lacked genuine refinement.
Violet Asquith
The Disillusioned Friend
"A transformed being… bright and avenante… shooting glittering glances hither and thither."
"The whole thing simply revolts me both in its physical and spiritual aspect."
"She is willing to renounce England and Christianity."
Initially admiring Venetia's "glittering glances," Violet turned to revulsion when Venetia converted to Judaism for marriage, seeing it as a betrayal of values.
Edwin Montagu
The Frustrated Suitor
"You are most frighteningly reserved about yourself."
"The inner you is as hidden from me... as it was a year ago."
"You are the most desperately beloved of all women."
He found her "most frighteningly reserved" and feared he never truly "had" her, even as he described her as the "most desperately beloved of all women."
Sir Lawrence Jones
The Contemporary
"A splendid, virginal, comradely creature."
"Venetia had… a masculine intellect… she permitted herself no recourse to her own femininity."
"She carried the Anthologies in her head, but rode like an Amazon."
He saw her "masculine intellect" and "casual stride," noting she had "no recourse to her own femininity" and was "brutally careless of her person."
Diana Cooper
The Social Critic
"Dressed like an elephant in 'howdahs' and sham Eastern spoils."
A sharp critique of Venetia's eccentric and often heavy-handed fashion sense later in life.
Duff Cooper
The Analyst
"Fingering her hair, speaking seldom... watching with anxiety the servants."
"Speaking seldom and with quick assurance, while watching… the food and the wine."
He saw through her confidence, observing the anxiety and silence that lay beneath her social performance at dinner parties.
In Her Own Words
On Emotion
I'm completely cold-blooded—detached from all interest in my own life... my supply of emotion is a thin & meagre one.
A Day in the Life
1912–1915 • Based on Asquith's Poem (July 1, 1913)
Morning
Fence with Mistress Katharine.
Midday
Eurhythmics call me next.
Luncheon
Tête à tête.
Afternoon
To the City—to select / Rare fine-spun lingerie.
Evening
A hasty rubber (Bridge).
Night
A rest, a dance / A supper.
3:30 AM
I go to bed... To do it all again.
Intellect & Vice
"A whetted appetite and zest for the pleasures of the world"
The Bookshelf
Heavy Reading
Russian Literature
"The Brothers Karamazov" & "Crime & Punishment"
She read Dostoevsky obsessively in 1914, finding his chaotic morality a mirror for her own life.
The Foundation
Greek & Roman Classics
"Winchester Troopers" (Dialogue) — "Great fun"
Educated far beyond the standard for women of her time, she could debate Asquith on nuances of Greek translation.
Verse
Dante & The Moderns
"The Divine Comedy (Inferno)"
Read aloud, translating horrors "with great gusto" to anyone who would listen.
Hobbies
The Menagerie
Owned a bear, a fox, a penguin, and a monkey named Pluto.
Gambling
Poker and Bridge for money with "zest & determination".
Sport
Fencing (3x a week) and Tennis.