![Winterhalter Eugenie 1855](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Winterhalter_Eugenie_1855.jpg)
Jane Mary Thorne, baronne de Pierres (1821 – 1873) was a French courtier of American origin. She served as lady-in-waiting (''
dame de Palais
The Dame du Palais, originally only Dame, was an historical office in the Royal Court of France. It was a title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a female member of the French Royal Family. The position ...
'') to the empress of France,
Eugénie de Montijo
''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...
.
Life
Jane Thorne was born in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
as the daughter of the American millionaire Colonel Herman Thorne and Jane Mary Jauncey. Her father was a well known figure in the American millionaire colony in Paris during the reign of
Louis Philippe I. She married the French nobleman Eugène Stéphane de Pierres, baron de Pierres, on 7 June 1842. Her two sisters, Mary and Alice, married respectively French aristocrats Baron Camille de Varaigne (on 28 March 1832) and Count Amédée d'Audebert de Férussac (on 27 August 1845).
After the introduction of the
Second Empire and the marriage of Emperor Napoleon III to
Eugénie de Montijo
''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...
, she was appointed to the Household of the new Empress. The ladies-in-waiting of the new Empress consisted of a ''Grand-Maitresse'' or senior lady-in-waiting, the
Princesse d'Essling; a
Dame d'honneur or deputy, the
Duchesse de Bassano, who both attended court on grand functions; and six (later twelve)
Dame du Palais
The Dame du Palais, originally only Dame, was an historical office in the Royal Court of France. It was a title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a female member of the French Royal Family. The position w ...
, who were selected from among the acquaintances to the Empress prior to her marriage, and who alternated in pairs fulfilling the daily duties. Her husband was appointed equerry to the Empress. Both she and her spouse kept their positions from 1853 to 1870.
Jane Thorne was a personal friend of Eugenie from before her marriage to the emperor. She was referred to as a great beauty, but also as a shy, introverted neurotic.
The empress was reportedly charmed by her American accent, but also irritated by her smoking, as she had the habit of blowing the smoke in to the empress' face.
Empress Eugenie often spoke English with Jane Thorne, because she wanted to keep up her English. A contemporary said of her:
:"Miss Thorne spoke English with just a slight touch of the best American accent and some of the words which she had brought with her from the other side of the Atlantic — especially that picturesque American slang, which she sometimes employed with much effect in her lively conversation — had a special charm for the Empress
..I think it was largely due to this fascinating American woman that her fellow countrymen and women always had such a warm welcome at the Court of the Tuileries."
Jane Thorne was described as an excellent rider, and often accompanied the empress during riding or hunting, along with her husband, the equerry.
A contemporary described her:
:"She was the finest horsewoman, and yet the most timid person I ever knew; the least trifle terrified her. She had been very pretty and was exceedingly sweet and amiable."
[Carette Madame: ]
Recollections of the court of the Tuileries
' (1890)
Legacy
She belongs to the ladies-in-waiting depicted with Eugenie in the famous painting ''
Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting
''Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting'' is an oil on canvas painting by the German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter completed in 1855. It features depictions of the empress of France, Eugénie de Montijo, and eight of her ladies-i ...
'' by
Franz Xaver Winterhalter from 1855.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, Jane
1821 births
1873 deaths
French ladies-in-waiting
People of the Second French Empire
Ladies-in-waiting to Eugénie de Montijo