Georgiana Russell, Duchess Of Bedford

Georgiana Russell, Duchess of Bedford (née Gordon), was born on 18 July 1781 at Gordon Castle in Scotland. She was the younger daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, and his first wife, Jane. She was known as Lady Georgiana Gordon before her marriage.

In 1802, following the Treaty of Amiens, Georgiana was taken to Paris by her mother, the Duchess of Gordon, to consider a marriage alliance with Eugène de Beauharnais, stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte. Political considerations prevented this marriage plan. Subsequently, arrangements were made for Georgiana's engagement to Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, who died before they could marry. Her mother advised her to wear black when interacting with Francis’s younger brother, who inherited the dukedom and was widowed with children.

As a teenager, Georgiana's mother was active in hosting social events in Edinburgh and London. An 1796 caricature by James Gillray depicted her at 14 years old, at a social gathering, playing a gambling game called "Pope Joan," dressed in fashionably revealing attire.

On 23 June 1803, Georgiana married John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, as his second wife. The wedding dress was notably elaborate, earning the moniker "Georgiana Frock." The couple’s honeymoon was spent at Woburn Abbey. The duke was fifteen years her senior and had been married previously to Georgiana Byng, with whom he had three sons; she died in 1801 before his inheritance of the dukedom. Georgiana facilitated marriages for her sisters, with two, Charlotte and Susan, also becoming duchesses. Her father remarried in 1812 to Jean Christie following her mother’s death.

The Duke and Duchess of Bedford had ten children: seven sons and three daughters. Notable among their children were Reverend Lord Wriothesley Russell (1804–1886), who married Elizabeth Henrietta Russell; Admiral Lord Edward Russell (1805–1887), who married Mary Ann Taylor; Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles James Fox Russell (1807–1894); Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Russell (1810–1867), who married Charles Romilly; Lady Louisa Jane Russell (1812–1905), who married James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn; Lord Henry Russell (b. 1816), who joined the Navy; Lord Cosmo Russell (1817–1875), who married Anne Norbury; General Lord Alexander Russell (1821–1907); Lady Rachel Evelyn Russell (1826–1898), who married Lord James Butler.

In 1806, the duchess accompanied her husband during his tenure as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. She assisted him in estate reforms and was recognized for her sense of fairness. In 1823, she met artist Edwin Landseer, who was commissioned to paint her portrait. Landseer provided her with art lessons, and she subsequently engaged in an affair with him, of which the duke appeared to be aware. An engraving of her portrait, accompanied by poetry by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, was published in 1829.

In 1818, the duke and duchess leased Invereshie shootings in Badenoch, an association that lasted throughout her life. In 1829, she rented Doune House of Rothiemurchus and built timber cottages in Rugh Aiteachain for leisure activities such as fishing and gardening. During the late 1840s, she transformed part of Glen Feshie into a deer forest.

Following the duke’s death in 1839, the duchess relocated to Endsleigh House in Devon. The estate had been constructed by the duke and featured gardens designed by Humphry Repton. She also resided at Bedford Lodge on Campden Hill, Kensington, where she hosted social gatherings. Her financial situation was strained after her husband's death, partly due to debts left by the duke. She requested permission from Lord Holland to graze a cow on Holland House land for milk. Landseer, the artist who painted her portrait, reportedly proposed marriage to her in 1840, which she declined.

Georgiana Russell died on 24 February 1853 in Nice, France, at the age of 71. She was buried in the cemetery of the English church in Nice, choosing this location over the traditional Bedford family burial site at Chenies.