Notorious Facts About Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, The Original Queen of Couture
Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind when thinking about the Titanic, but her connection to the sunken ship and her chaotic life surrounding it is as surprising as it is unforgettable.
1. She Had A Humble Start
Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon was born to a civil engineer and his wife in London, England in . Not many details about her early life are public knowledge, but it is quite likely that she lived well, though not nearly as well as many English aristocrats of the day. At a very young age, an unexpected tragedy changed her life as she knew it.
2. She Lost Her Dad
When typhoid fever took her father’s life, her mother up and moved them to Canada, where she spent her formative years. Other than this loss, her childhood seemed fairly normal.
Her mother remarried, and she grew up with a stepfather and stepsister. One childhood instance, though, became the first of a super eerie trend.
3. She Shipwrecked
In 1875, Duff-Gordon and her sister, Elinor Glyn, traveled to England to visit family. On their way back to the United States, disaster struck. A strong storm overtook their ship. Ultimately, the storm ran it onto land and destroyed it. Somehow, both Duff-Gordon and her sister managed to survive. As it turns out, it wouldn’t be her only “ship” to fall to pieces.
4. She Married Young
At the remarkably young age of 18, Duff-Gordon married one James Stuart Wallace, and eventually had one daughter with him. Another thing that was worth noting about their relationship? The fact that Wallace made a terrible life partner.
