The Sphinx: Gladys Deacon, Duchess of Marlborough

The Sphinx: Gladys Deacon, Duchess of Marlborough with Hugo Vickers

Gladys Deacon (1881-1977) was a beautiful American, intelligent, well read, and loved by many of the most interesting men of the 20th century. She became a friend of Proust, Rodin, Anatole France, Berenson, and many English and Italian dukes. She married the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1921, determined to outdo his first wife, Consuelo Vanderbilt, but the marriage was not a success and she became a recluse. Hugo Vickers, who talked with Deacon at the end of her life, is well known as a biographer, lecturer, and broadcaster.