Pauline de Rothschild facts for kids

Pauline, Baroness de Rothschild (born Pauline Potter; December 31, 1908 – March 8, 1976) was a talented American fashion designer and writer. She also worked with her second husband to translate old English poems and plays. Pauline was known for her amazing style and was even added to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1969. This put her alongside other famous people like Cary Grant and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Her Early Years

Pauline Potter was born in Paris, France, in 1908. Her parents were wealthy Americans who lived abroad. Her mother, Gwendolen Cary, was a distant relative of Thomas Jefferson, one of America's founding fathers. Her father, Francis Hunter Potter, came from a well-known family too.

Pauline's family had been important in the American South since the 1600s. She was even a great-great-granddaughter of Francis Scott Key, who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner." She was also a direct descendant of Pocahontas, a famous Native American woman from history. Some of her great-aunts, Jennie and Hetty Cary, were known as "Cary Invincibles" during the American Civil War for sewing battle flags. Jennie Cary also helped create the state song of Maryland.

Because her parents often separated and later divorced, Pauline grew up in many different places. She lived in New York City, Paris, Biarritz, and Baltimore. She went to private schools in France and Maryland, but her formal education finished when she was about 16.

First Marriage

In 1930, Pauline married Charles Carroll Fulton Leser in Baltimore, Maryland. He was an art restorer. Soon after they married, they moved to Mallorca, Spain. They separated in 1934 and divorced in 1939. They did not have any children.

Her Career in Fashion

In the early 1930s, Pauline worked as a personal shopper in New York City. She helped rich people choose their clothes and find their own style. Later, when she moved to Europe, she opened her own dress shops in Spain. She also worked for the famous fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in London and Paris. People often saw her in fashion magazines wearing Schiaparelli's newest designs.

In the early 1940s, Pauline and a friend, Louise Macy, started their own fashion house called Macy-Potter in New York City. Even though their first collection wasn't very successful, Pauline continued her fashion career. She designed clothes for Marshall Field and later became the director of custom fashion at Hattie Carnegie, a famous New York fashion company.

Pauline worked at Hattie Carnegie for almost ten years. She designed clothes for many important clients, including the Duchess of Windsor and famous actresses like Gertrude Lawrence. She also designed the women's costumes for a Broadway play called No Exit in 1946. One of the gowns she designed for the play is now in the Museum of the City of New York.

Pauline also briefly worked as a fashion model. She posed for Harper's Bazaar magazine, showing off the latest Grecian-style dresses for a photographer named Louise Dahl-Wolfe.

Second Marriage

On April 8, 1954, Pauline married Baron Philippe de Rothschild. He was a very interesting person who owned the famous French winery Château Mouton Rothschild. His first wife had passed away in 1945. Through this marriage, Pauline gained a stepdaughter named Philippine de Rothschild.

Her Writing

Pauline de Rothschild loved to read and wanted to become a writer herself. She admired the works of Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima and Danish writer Isak Dinesen. Her articles about fashion, travel, and other topics were published in popular magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. In 1966, she published her only book, The Irrational Journey. It was a short, descriptive story about a trip she and her husband took to the Soviet Union in the middle of winter.

Death and Burial

Pauline de Rothschild passed away on March 8, 1976, from a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had heart surgery in 1975. She also had a genetic condition called Marfan's syndrome, which affected her health.

She is buried on the grounds of Château Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, France. Her tomb is made of beautiful Lalique glass and marble. Her second husband and his parents are also buried there.