Source A suggests that Henrietta is intelligent and is of a high social status. This source is probably the most accurate one of Henrietta because it was painted of her realistically so it can be used to interpret how accurate source B is in describing Henrietta’s characteristics. According to the portrait, source B is a very accurate view of Henrietta Howard. But this source cannot be used on its own to make accurate judgements about Henrietta Howard so source B, the poem by Alexander Bell, is a useful accompaniment because it supports many of the points which source A suggests about Henrietta for example her high intelligence and her modesty. Source B includes some extra compliments to Henrietta, suggesting that she has reason to be envied and her only fault is her modesty, so they collectively suggest that she is faultless and perfect.
Source C is a poem by Jonathan Swift, and is a view of Henrietta which has a different perspective to sources A and B, and does not consist of any admirations that Pope had of Henrietta. He says that her house was built for no reason but to show off her wealth and suggests that she built it at too much cost, resultantly preventing her from completing Marble Hill. He says that he holds the wine key suggesting that he is well accepted at Marble Hill and that he is a good friend of Henrietta’s. He also says that if Marble Hill had not been completed, Henrietta’s friends including Alexander Pope, John Gay and himself, would leave her. This suggests that he thought that the attraction to these people was her home, not her. He could possibly have been implying unintentionally that he himself saw nothing much in her, that he was attracted to her home and her wealth. This contradicts the point which Pope made about her having reason to be envied. Pope suggests that it is Henrietta’s own intelligence and personality that has gained her the high social status that she has, whereas Swift suggests that her fashionable home is the main reason behind her popularity. At the end Swift says that a merchant from the city would probably buy Marble Hill, suggesting that its value would drop along with hers as merchants were looked down upon.
One thing that Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift agree on in their poems is that Henrietta is popular, whether the reason for it is herself or her house, although Swift does state that she would lose her popularity if her house was not to be completed. Source B is a first hand source as Pope actually knew Henrietta and was a good friend of hers which makes the source reliable but it is equally unreliable because the poem is Pope’s own view of Henrietta which could be biased. Source C is a first hand source but its reliability is also rather questionable because again it is an opinion of one person and probably biased.
In conclusion the evidence of source C does not support the evidence of sources A and B except that they all agree on the fact that that Henrietta Howard had popularity although not on the reasons behind it, but most of the evidence from the source C is contrary to the evidence of sources A and B.
3. Study sources D and E.
How useful are these sources in helping you to understand why Henrietta Howard and Marble Hill House were seen as a social centre for wealthy, artistic and powerful people in the 18th century?
In some ways, some of the sources are very useful in helping to understand why Henrietta Howard and Marble Hill House were seen as a social centre for wealthy, artistic and powerful people in the 18th century. Firstly, source D is a drawing of Marble Hill drawn by Augustin Heckell. This is suggesting that Marble Hill must have been quite important for someone to go and draw it, as not everyone’s home attracts artists to draw it and has famous drawings of it. It could also convey that Henrietta Howard had a high social status and was in her own right, a fashionable person, which was the reason why people were so interested in her home. The drawing shows the gardens of Marble Hill as well as the house, suggesting that they were just as important as the house. It shows the modes of transport which people used – by boat and by horse and carriage. These could suggest that traveling by river was just as important as by road. The view and landscape of the house is very beautiful, and the river Thames was a very fashionable place to live. This is possibly a reason for Henrietta and Marble Hill being seen as a social centre for wealthy, artistic and powerful people. Artistic people would want to draw the house with a beautiful view, situated in a fashionable place, so it would become even more well-known. Wealthy and powerful people would want to visit and get to know all of the fashionable places and people, just because of their reputation for being fashionable.
The house is built in Palladian style which was very fashionable at the time and the house has been described as “a perfect example of Palladian architecture”, and there are chinoiserie paintings and furniture, which is a Chinese style of architecture, also fashionable at the time. These points are very useful in helping to understand why the house was seen as a social centre for important people because they suggest that people wanted to visit, because they were interested in the latest architecture etc as Marble Hill was fashionable, and built in a fashionable style. There is a description of the picture in French which implies that Marble Hill was well known across Europe, which could be because of Henrietta’s links with the royal family or again because she was fashionable herself which caused her to be so well-known.
The extracts from the letters (source E) are useful because they state the kinds of people who communicated with Henrietta Howard for example “Lady Hervey” and “Lord Chesterfield”. This infers that these people were of high Social classes as they had the titles of “Lords” and “Ladies”, and therefore shows that wealthy and powerful people were interested in Henrietta and her house, suggesting that she must have been important herself.
The first extract is dated 1724 which was while the house was being built suggesting that it was important enough to have word getting round about it’s existence before the building of it was complete. Lady Hervey told Henrietta in her letter that she has heard about the beauty and fashion that her house holds and that she longs to see it. This suggests that her house must be extremely fashionable if Lords and Ladies long to see it, but also that maybe Lady Hervey is more interested in the house rather than its owner, Henrietta, because she states nothing about wanting to visit Henrietta.
Extract three is from Lord Chesterfield, again a man of high status. In his letter he is offering to buy for her ‘fine Chinese beds, window curtains, chairs etc.’ This infers that he thinks very highly of her, as he is offering to do her this favour, and that she must be very important herself for a Lord to think so highly of her. It also suggests that she isn’t cutting corners with the contents of her house (“fine” Chinese bed) which does not support the point which Jonathon Swift makes in his poem about her running out of money and not being able to complete Marble Hill. Extract four is from the Duchess of Queensbury to Lady Suffolk in 1734, writing from Scotland. This tells us that Henrietta had received her title as Lady Suffolk by now and that it wasn’t her title that gained her the popularity that she already had. This extract also shows that Marble Hill had a reputation in Scotland. The Duchess says that she wishes she could “fly away” to Marble Hill and be at rest suggesting that it was a place of tranquility and peacefulness because it was an area of countryside. It also says that the people don’t know how to eat and drink in Scotland and that the area of Marble Hill has a classic and gentle atmosphere, suggesting that Marble Hill has everything Scotland doesn’t.
Extract five is a letter from Mr. George Berkeley (her second husband) to Lady Suffolk in 1735 which tells us that had remarried by then. George Berkeley states in his letter to her that he dislikes Marble Hill because she is not there, and that he has nothing better to do than sleep out of boredom. This suggests that the only reason that he comes to Marble Hill and enjoys it is because of her companionship, not because of the house itself.
Extract six is Lady Suffolk’s reply a few days later. She says in the letter that she is not sorry that he disliked Marble Hill. This suggests that she feels pleased that he is missing her. Extract seven is dated April 1741 and is also from Lady Suffolk to Mr. Berkeley but she is writing from Marble Hill. In this letter she admits that she is bored without him and Marble Hill is not as entertaining. She describes herself as dull, because she is missing him so much which is contrasting to what Pope said in his poem about her perfection She tells him that her nephews and nieces flatter her all day and that she loves flattery, but this also is ironic because Pope said in his poem that her worst fault was not being able to be flattered. This again suggests that she is trying to think positively about herself to pass her time at Marble Hill, because she doesn’t expect any better.
In some ways this source is not very useful because firstly they are a secondary source as the letters have been collected together by someone. This means that we only get a part of the picture because we have been given selected evidence to look at which can be misleading. The drawing of Marble Hill is of some use to us but we cannot make accurate enough judgements from one picture, others are needed to support its evidence and interpret its accuracy.
In conclusion, sources D and E are quite useful in helping us to understand why Marble Hill and Henrietta Howard were seen as a social centre for wealthy, artistic and powerful people in the 18th century because they provide evidence as to why for example the Palladian architecture which may have attracted people. But in other ways the sources are not so useful because they have been selected and could be misleading.
