Lady Bridget Elizabeth Felicia Henrietta Augusta Poulett, Señora Robledo (29 January 1912 – 1975), was an English socialite, sometime model of

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theat ...

Biography

Lady Bridget Elizabeth Felicia Henrietta Augusta Poulett was born on 29 January 1912, the daughter of

William Poulett, 7th Earl Poulett William John Lydston Poulett, 7th Earl Poulett (11 September 1883 – 11 July 1918) was an English peer and British Army officer. Educated at Cheltenham College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he was the son of William Poulett, 6th Earl Poulett, b ...

, and Sylvia Lilian Storey, an actress and

Gaiety girl Gaiety Girls were the chorus girls in Edwardian musical comedies, beginning in the 1890s at the Gaiety Theatre, London, in the shows produced by George Edwardes. The popularity of this genre of musical theatre depended, in part, on the beautifu ...

. Lady Bridget Poulett was considered one of the great Society Beauties of the 1930s. She was famous for her almond green eyes and jet black hair. She was photographed by all the leading photographers of the day. A famous 1920 photo by Cecil Beaton depicts

Baba Beaton Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton (21 January 1912 – 18 March 1973), known as Baba Beaton, was an English socialite who, together with her sister, Nancy, was known as one of the Beaton Sisters, and was included in ''The Book of Beauty'' by their br ...

, Wanda Baillie-Hamilton and Lady Bridget Poulett. She was one of a series of society beauties photographed as classical figures by

Madame Yevonde Yevonde Philone Middleton (née Cumbers; 5 January 1893 – 22 December 1975) was an English photographer, who pioneered the use of colour in portrait photography. She used the professional name Madame Yevonde. Early life Educated at the lib ...

. In June 1932 Lady Bridget Poulett, together with

, Lady Patricia Moore, Jeanne Stourton, Molly Vaughan, Katherine Horlick, Margaret Livingstone-Learmonth and Priscilla Weigall, considered among the most beautiful debutantes of 1932, were supposed to be the bridesmaids to the wedding of Miss

Margaret Whigham Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll ('' née'' Whigham, formerly Sweeny; 1 December 1912 – 25 July 1993) was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce fr ...

Charles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick Charles Guy Fulke Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick, 7th Earl Brooke (4 March 1911 – 20 January 1984), was a British peer and the last Earl of Warwick to live at the family seat Warwick Castle before its sale in 1978. He became the first British a ...

, but the engagement was broken in April. In the end she was the bridesmaid when Whigham married

Charles Sweeney Charles William Sweeney (December 27, 1919 – July 16, 2004) was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew '' Bockscar'' carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb to the Japanese city of Nagasaki on Augu ...

, an American golfer; with her other bridesmaids were: Baba Beaton, Sheila Berry, Jeanne Stourton, Margaret Livingstone-Learmonth, Angela Brett, Dawn Gold, Molly Vaughan and Pamela Nicholl. In January 1933 she was the bridesmaid of Nancy Beaton who was marrying Sir Hugh Houston Smiley, 3rd Baronet (1905–1990). The dresses were designed by

and among the other bridesmaids there were

, and Lady Anne Wellesley. On 20 March 1933 she was a model for the 24th Birthday Celebrations and opening of the new building of

Selfridge's Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...

; it was advertized as a Fashion Premiere presented by Society Beauties, and the other models were:

, Betty Colclough,

Dorothy Hyson Dorothy Hyson, Lady Quayle (born Dorothy Wardell Heisen; December 24, 1914May 23, 1996) was an American-born film and stage actress who worked largely in England. During World War II, she worked as a cryptographer at Bletchley Park. Early lif ...

, Averil Streatfield, Audrey Simpson, Peta Dundas, Hilary Charles, Mona Simpson and Pat Charles; directing the parades was Jeanne Stourton. In April 1934 she did a charitable fashion parade in aid of the Manchester Babies' Hospital organized by

Finnigans The House of Finnigans was a British luxury luggage and trunk maker established in 1830, originally in Manchester and later in New Bond Street in London. The House of Finnigans manufactured and produced a wide range of luxury products, including ...

in conjunction with

Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, KCVO (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth in 1940, an ...

. In March 1935 she was the bridesmaid of Lady Norah Jellicoe marrying Edward William Rhys Wingfield. The other bridesmaids were: Lady Gwendoline Jellicoe, Lady Prudence Jellicoe, Avice Cayzer, Pamela Blackett and Bridget Smiley. In November 1935 her name was linked to that of

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together with Primrose Salt, Lady Mary Lygon, Lady Sibell Lygon In 1938 at the "Beau Geste" party, Lady Bridget Poulett wore a million dollars *($ in dollars) in pearls, while her friend

was showing off a fortune in diamonds and rubies. In 1948 she married Luis Robledo, a Colombian diplomat, owner of Bogota Santa Fe. In 1950 Lady Bridget Poulett modelled for

Pond's Pond's is an American brand of beauty and health care products, currently owned by Unilever. History Pond's Cream was invented in the United States as a patent medicine by pharmacist Theron T. Pond (1800–1852) of Utica, New York, in 1846. M ...

. Since both the 8th Earl and his sister Lady Bridget Poulett were childless, in 1968 the 8th and last Earl Poulett sold the Hinton estate, after which he and his wife settled in Jersey, Channel Islands.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poulett, Bridget 1912 births 1975 deaths British debutantes English socialites English female models Daughters of British earls