Lady Helena Emily Gleichen
OBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
DStJ
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...
(1 February 1873 – 28 January 1947) was a British painter of landscapes, flowers, and animals, with a particular passion for horses. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, she served as an ambulance driver and
radiographer
Radiographers, also known as radiology technologists, radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists, are healthcare professionals who specialise in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and tr ...
in France and Italy, where she was given the rank of major in the army.
Her awards for her services included the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
.
Family and early life
Her brother,
Lord Edward Gleichen
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Lord Albert Edward Wilfred Gleichen (15 January 1863 – 14 December 1937) was a British courtier and soldier.
Early life and family history
Born as Count Albert Edward Wilfred von Gleichen, he w ...
(1863–1937), a professional soldier, wrote several books. Her sister,
Lady Feodora Gleichen
Lady Feodora Georgina Maud Gleichen (20 December 1861 – 22 February 1922) was a British sculptor of figures and portrait busts and designer of decorative objects.
Background
Born Countess Feodora Georgina Maud von Gleichen, she was the el ...
(1861–1922) was a sculptor.
They were the children of Count Victor von Gleichen ''aka''
Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Admiral Prince Victor Ferdinand Franz Eugen Gustaf Adolf Constantin Friedrich of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, (11 December 1833 – 31 December 1891), also known as Count von Gleichen, was an officer in the Royal Navy, and a sculptor.
Biography
He wa ...
, a half-nephew of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
and himself a sculptor and naval officer, and his
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
wife
Laura Williamina Seymour, a daughter of
Admiral Sir George Seymour.
On 15 December 1885, the
Court Circular
The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the royal family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by St James ...
announced the Queen's permission for Helena's mother to share her father's
rank
A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial.
People Formal ranks
* Academic rank
* Corporate title
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy ...
at the
Court of St James's
The Court of St James's serves as the official royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The court formally receives all ambassadors accredited to the United Kingdom. Likewise, ambassadors representing the United Kingdom are formally ...
, and henceforth they were known as
TSH Prince and Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. But the Queen did not extend that privilege to their children, although she confirmed use of their German style as count and countesses. On 12 June 1913 Helena and her sisters, the Countesses Feodora and Valda Gleichen, were granted
precedence before the daughters of
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
s in the
peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...
.
Gleichen was educated privately, then studied in Rollshoven and at
Frank Calderon's School of Animal Painting.
She also studied under
Frank Brangwyn
Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator and designer.
Brangwyn worked in a wide range of artistic fields. As well as paintings and drawings, he produc ...
and Arthur Lemon, who both greatly influenced her work.
She helped with illustrations for the
Younghusband Expedition
The British expedition to Tibet, also known as the Younghusband expedition, began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904. The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian Armed Forces under the auspices of the Ti ...
to
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
in 1904.
While her father encouraged his daughters to seek out education and build careers for themselves, her mother was more hesitant. As Lady Helena's father died when she was 18, it took two or three years of convincing before her mother allowed her to go study art at Westminster School.
World War I
When World War I began, Gleichen volunteered as an
ambulance driver
An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and some ...
and translator at a British hospital in France. At the suggestion of a French surgeon, she and her partner
Nina Hollings studied radiography in Paris and London. After being rebuffed by the British and French War Offices, they went to Italy, where they were given the rank of major in the
Italian Army
The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...
.
Gleichen headed the 4th Radiographic British Red Cross Unit stationed in the Villa Zucco in
Cormons
Cormons or Cormòns (; ) is a (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Gorizia in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about west of Gorizia, on the border with Slovenia.
Cor ...
, Italy.
She later received the Italian
Bronze Medal of Military Valour
The Bronze Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal for gallantry.
It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold Medal of Military Valor and Silver Medal of Military Valor, which were e ...
and was invested as a Dame of Grace of the
Order of St John of Jerusalem
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...
and as an officer,
OBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1920.
She was a Fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries.
In early 1918, she abandoned her German titles, accepting demotion by the King to the style and rank of a
marquess
A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...
's daughter.
Later life and death
Gleichen worked from her father's former studio in
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...
opposite
Friary Court
Friary Court is a part of St James's Palace in London, England.
It is used after the death of a reigning monarch. The Accession Council meets to declare the new monarch from the deceased monarch's line. Once the monarch has made a sacred oath t ...
. In 1934 Lady Helena and Nina Hollings purchased
Hellens Manor at
Much Marcle
Much Marcle is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, located north-east of Ross-on-Wye. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 660. The name ''Marcle'' comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for a boundary field, ''mearc ...
in
Herefordshire
Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
, which was used during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
by the
Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...
Gallery for the safe storage of art works. They would live here for 9 years, their discovery of the house is described by Lady Helena in her autobiography Contacts and Contrasts.
During the war, Gleichen organised her estate staff of some 80 men into a private army, whom she taught military tactics and shooting.
Her memoir, ''Contacts and Contrasts'', illustrated with reproductions of her paintings, was published in 1940.
She died in 1947, three days before her 74th birthday.
A memorial plaque to her and her siblings is located at
Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...
.
Lady Helena never married, or had any children. She travelled through Europe with Nina Hollings for many years and the two starting living together in 1918 in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
. The pair moved to
Ledbury, Herefordshire in 1939. Historian Marlene Eilers Koenig, and various others, have claimed that the two were lovers, and in a relationship for more than twenty years.
Ancestry
References
Further reading
* Helena Gleichen, ''Contacts and Contrasts'' (1940). Reprinted, with a new Introduction by Caroline Stone (Mansion Field, 2013
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gleichen, Helena
1873 births
1947 deaths
19th-century English people
19th-century English women artists
20th-century English painters
20th-century English memoirists
20th-century English women writers
English women memoirists
British people of German descent
Dames of Grace of the Order of St John
Daughters of British marquesses
House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Painters from London
Place of death missing
Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor
Sibling artists
British women in World War I
Radiographers
Italian Army personnel
20th-century English women painters