Beau Brummell and the Snub that Backfired

A ball held in London’s Argyle rooms, as depicted by Isaac Cruikshank in 1825

This month marks the anniversary of one of the most famous snubs in history, or at least in Regency history. For it was in July of 1813 that Beau Brummell snubbed the Prince Regent at London’s Argyle rooms. And that snub, for whatever momentary satisfaction it may have given Brummell, marked the beginning of the end of his career as the undisputed arbiter of men’s fashion and manners in Regency England.

Here’s how it happened:

Beau Brummell, engraving from a miniature by John Cook

Brummell and a trio of his aristocratic chums (Lord Alvanley, Sir Henry Mildmay, and Henry Pierrepoint) decided to host a masquerade ball to celebrate the money they had won gambling at Watier’s Club.

The four dandies reluctantly invited the Prince Regent to their party, primarily because His Royal Highness was determined to attend despite the fact that he had recently quarreled with Brummell.

When he arrived at the ball, Prinny greeted Brummell’s friends but ignored the Beau.

Brummell retaliated by inquiring in a high-pitched voice that penetrated the room’s din: “Alvanley, who is your fat friend?”

Now, the Prince Regent was extremely sensitive about his ever-increasing girth, so he was mortified and infuriated by Brummell’s remark, so much so that he never spoke to the Beau again.

And even though the Prince Regent was enormously unpopular with his subjects, and Brummel’s social standing remained undiminished after the snub (at least for a time), the net effect of the Beau’s unkind remark was that he forever lost his royal patron.

Highly unflattering 1819 caricature of the Prince Regent by George Cruikshank

The damage didn’t seem too bad at first. Despite being shunned by the Regent, for the next few years Brummell remained popular among the ton. Even without Prinny’s favor, he still had many upper class friends and was able to keep his position as the acknowledged leader of fashion.

But Brummell was addicted to gambling, and it was not long before his debts got the better of him. It became increasingly difficult for him to find anyone who would extend him a line of credit, and he piled up thousands of pounds in debts he could not repay.

So the Beau was forced into exile, fleeing to France in 1816 to avoid arrest. He never returned to England, much less to his former glory as the unrivaled authority on what constituted sartorial elegance in Regency London.

Once a king of London’s high society, Brummell died in Caen in 1840 after a stint in debtor’s prison. He ended his days in dire poverty, ravaged mentally and physically by syphilis, dirty and unkempt – a state that was a far cry from his former fastidiousness.

To the end of his life, the Beau hoped the rift between himself and his former patron would heal, especially after the Prince was crowned King George IV in 1821. Unfortunately, a reconciliation never took place.

Whether retaining the future king as a lifelong friend rather than making him an enemy in 1813 would have altered Brummell’s sad fate is impossible to know, but easy to conjecture.

So there you have it – the snub that triggered the downfall of a social lion. This story is a good reminder that a witty  remark can sometimes ricochet, hurting the one who hurled it.

That was certainly true for Beau Brummell.

Statue honoring Brummel in London’s Jermyn St. by Irena Sedlecka, erected in 2002

 

Sources for this post include:

  • The Prince of Pleasure and his Regency, by J.B. Priestley, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, NY 1969
  • Beau Brummell, by Hubert Cole, Mason/Charter, New York, 1977

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Assembly Rooms, May 2015

So many articles this month! I hope you find some of them to be of interest.

Gillray-very slippy weatherThe prodigiously talented Gillray: http://18thcand19thc.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/james-gillray-prince-of-caricaturists.html

The care and upbringing of foundlings: http://www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/thomas-coram-and-the-foundling-hospital/

A London walk: https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/footsteps-of-soane-ii/

Continue reading “Assembly Rooms, May 2015”

Assembly Rooms – April 2015

Here’s the monthly assemblage of links of interest to lovers of the Regency era — everything from prisoners’ mementos to dishonest valets. Continue reading “Assembly Rooms – April 2015”

Assembly Rooms, January 2015

Assembly Rooms is a collection of links to blogs and articles of interest to lovers of the Regency Era.

Glorious Gothic: http://www.regencyhistory.net/2015/01/strawberry-hill-horace-walpoles-gothic.html

Strawberry Hill by Paul Sandby, courtesy Wikipedia
Strawberry Hill by Paul Sandby, courtesy Wikipedia

An impressive display of carriages: http://www.regencyhistory.net/2014/10/the-national-trust-carriage-museum-at.html Continue reading “Assembly Rooms, January 2015”

Assembly Room – Roundup of Regency posts by Angelyn Schmid

Assembly Room – A Roundup of Regency and other historical posts byAngelyn Schmid
Woman Writing - Beau Monde image

Foolscap and a cockscomb–it’s amazing what you’ll find in the Beau Monde archives, with thanks to The Regency Redingotehttp://bit.ly/JsU1P3

Regency mail (don’t you just love Susanna’s blog stationary?) http://bit.ly/IVW883

1803 Royal Mail
1803 Royal Mail

Continue reading “Assembly Room – Roundup of Regency posts by Angelyn Schmid”

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

1805-1825 Almack's Assembly Room
1805-1825 Almack's Assembly Room

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

by The Beau Monde member Angelyn Schmid.

Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte – part two:  http://bit.ly/yMHTj3
Regency Velocipede (now isn’t that dandy?):  http://bit.ly/w0mKw7

Continue reading “Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts”

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts –  March 2012

Group dancing formally black coated gentlemen
Almack's Assembly Room 1805-1825

 

Lighting in the Georgian period – so that’s where snot comes from: http://historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com/

How they numbered houses: http://bit.ly/yk3l7c

Continue reading “Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts”

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

Assembly Room – Round-up of the best Regency and historical posts


 A disastrous royal marriage – George and Caroline:  http://bit.ly/xhdFxF
Lady Jersey by Richard Cosway
Regency versus Victorian – which do you choose?  http://bit.ly/y202yZ
Victorian with Crinoline
Victorian with Crinoline

Chariot Elaborate with Coat of Arms
Chariot Elaborate with Coat of Arms
           Livery and coaches:  http://bit.ly/ympeiN
Weymouth – a Georgian spa for a princess: http://bit.ly/zxXaDV
What horrid novel would Jane Austen recommend?  http://bit.ly/AzykwL
I love that word fustian:  http://bit.ly/xmZXGQ
Lady with Rouged Cheeks
Lady with Rouged Cheeks
       Regency beauty secrets (and some lovely prints besides!) http://bit.ly/yjZm8Z
Capital improvements – a sophisticated review of a Regency movement http://bit.ly/ABYxBM

Posts collected by Angelyn Schmid, a member of The Beau Monde.   Like history?  Fall in love with it!  Check out my blog at www.angelynschmid.com on history and romance.

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

1805-1825 Almack's Assembly Room
1805-1825 Almack's Assembly Room

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

          by The Beau Monde member Angelyn Schmid.

These caps are adorable:  http://bit.ly/yoWl8G

Adorable caps from Rose Lerner
Adorable caps from Rose Lerner

A birthday cake for Jane Austen: http://bit.ly/uj4t3p
Continue reading “Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts”

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

1805-1825 Almack's Assembly Room
1805-1825 Almack's Assembly Room

Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts

The Beau Monde is pleased to present lots more great Regency links for you to try.

Title page from La Belle Assemblée or, Bell's ...
La Belle Assembly

 

We could always use more Ackerman’s for Regency fashion: http://ekduncan.blogspot.com/2011/07/regency-era-fashions ackermanns_03.html

Continue reading “Assembly Room – Round-up of Regency and historical posts”