Baroness Marie Rose Antoinette Catherine de Robert d'Aqueria de Rochegude d'Erlanger (1874–1959) was a patron of the arts, supporting artists such as the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and its a ...

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 ...

Romaine Brooks Romaine Brooks (born Beatrice Romaine Goddard; May 1, 1874 – December 7, 1970) was an American painter who worked mostly in Paris and Capri. She specialized in portrait painting, portraiture and used a subdued tonal Palette (painting), palette ...

Philip de László Philip Alexius László de Lombos (born Fülöp Laub; hu, Fülöp Elek László; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), known professionally as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal an ...

and

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...

. She was known as "The Flame" (La Fiamma) for her hair color. She was widely known as ''Kate d'Erlanger''.

Biography

Marie Rose Antoinette Catherine de Robert d'Aqueria de Rochegude was the daughter of the Marquis d'Aqueria de Rochegude, a landowner and shipowner in Le Havre. In 1895 she married

Baron Emile Beaumont d'Erlanger Baron Emile Beaumont D'Erlanger (4 June 1866 – 24 July 1939) was a French-born British merchant banker. Life He was the second eldest son of Frédéric Emile d'Erlanger, a banker working in Paris at the French branch of Emile Erlanger and Co ...

and they had four children: Robert "Robin" Emile Frédéric Regis d'Erlanger (1896–1934), Mary Liliane Matilda "Baba", Baroness d'Erlanger (1901–1945), Gerard John Regis Leo, Baron d'Erlanger (1905–1962), and Bianca, Baroness d'Erlanger. Her granddaughter, Minnie Caroline d'Erlanger, daughter of Gerard, married

Winston Churchill (1940–2010) Winston Spencer-Churchill (10 October 1940 – 2 March 2010), generally known as Winston Churchill, was an English Conservative politician and a grandson of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. During the period of his prominenc ...

, the grandson of Prime Minister Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. When in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the d'Erlanger lived at 139 Piccadilly,

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

's former home. D'Erlanger established a famous salon and was one of the most important society hostesses of her time. When in Italy, they stayed at

Villa Foscari Villa Foscari is a patrician villa in Mira, near Venice, northern Italy, designed by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. It is also known as ''La Malcontenta'' ("The Discontented"), a nickname which—according to a legend—it re ...

(or Villa La Malcontenta) which her father-in-law had leased and renovated, and which she purchased in 1926, together with her friends Alberto Clinton Landsberg and Paul Rodocanachi. Bertie Landsberg, issue of an originally Jewish banking family, as the Erlangers, fled the Italian Fascists in 1939 and only returned to the villa in 1947. Later in life she moved to Hollywood and opened Café Gala, a nightclub popular with Hollywood celebrities and the LGBT crowd due to the fact it was managed by gay singer Johnny Walsh.

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

was a frequent patron, visiting the club several times a week when in California.

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

Lennie Hayton Leonard George Hayton (February 14, 1908 – April 24, 1971) was an American musician, composer, conductor and arranger. Hayton's trademark was a captain's hat, which he always wore at a rakish angle. Early life Hayton was born in New Yor ...

were other celebrities attending the club. She was a patron of the arts, supporting artists such as the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Cecil Beaton, Romaine Brooks, Philip de László and Sergei Diaghilev. She was known as "The Flame" (La Fiamma) for her hair color, and

William Bruce Ellis Ranken William Bruce Ellis Ranken (11 April 1881 – 31 March 1941) was a British artist and Edwardian aesthete. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Robert Burt Ranken, a wealthy and successful lawyer, and his wife Mary. He attended Eton Colleg ...

's portrait bears that name. She was also friends with

Enid Bagnold Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, (27 October 1889 – 31 March 1981) was a British writer and playwright known for the 1935 story ''National Velvet''. Early life Enid Algerine Bagnold was born on 27 October 1889 in Rochester, Kent, daught ...

, but the friendship came to an abrupt end when Bagnold satirized the Baroness in the 1924 novel ''Serena Blandish'' as Countess Flor di Folio.

Portraits

* 1899,

, Messum's Fine Art * 1918,

, Portsmouth Museums * 1924,

, Smithsonian American Art Museum * 1925,

Oliver Messel Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel (13 January 1904 – 13 July 1978) was an English artist and one of the foremost stage designers of the 20th century. Early life Messel was born in London, the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Messel an ...

, Private Collection * 1930,

, Piccadilly House

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erlanger, Catherine, Baroness d' 1874 births 1959 deaths English art patrons

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

Nightclub owners British salon-holders