Lot Essay
From the Estate of
GEORGETTE Mac DONALD
Sold on behlaf of the Less Fortunate People of Le Havre
Georgette Mac Donald was born on 10 Jannuary 1898 in Le Havre, the principal port of Normandy on the French coast. The first years of her life were hard, her family being very poor; her father struggled to eke out an existence as a shop assistant while her mother tended the house.
By the age of sixteen Georgette had already lost her whole family: her parents died in penury in Le Havre's Hospital and her only brother lost his life aged twenty-six fighting for France during the First World War. It was then she decided to take her chance in Paris and very soon after her arrival she married. But once again fate was not kind as her new husband also lost his life serving his country in 1917.
Thus the Great War robbed Georgette of one husband but subsequently introduced her to another; this marked a turning point in her life and provided great recompense for all that had gone before.
Jan Mac Donald (1890-1968) was the son of a well-to-do Scottish tobacco manufacturer and held the rank of Captain in the Royal Air Force when he met Georgette, whom he subsequently married in 1926. They settled in France and in later years Mac Donald became Vice-Consul to the city of Tours where the beautiful Chateau de Rouziers became their home. In these genteel surroundings Georgette was renowned as a gracious hostess and a prominent social figure, and many of their circle of friends were drawn from the Rotary Club.
Jan Mac Donald's experience as an astute businessman provided a generous income for Geogette after his death, and she became a millionnaire in her own right. However, wealth and happiness never let her forget the suffering of her youth. Though she had spent seventy-five years away from her birth place she still retained the poignant memory of Le Havre's poor and in particular memory of her parents, those who awaited treatment at the hospital. On behalf of those people, Georgette Mac Donald's legacy totalled more than $ 2,000,000. The collection offered today is part of Mrs. Mac Donald estate and the proceeds will be included in this generous donation.
GEORGETTE Mac DONALD
Sold on behlaf of the Less Fortunate People of Le Havre
Georgette Mac Donald was born on 10 Jannuary 1898 in Le Havre, the principal port of Normandy on the French coast. The first years of her life were hard, her family being very poor; her father struggled to eke out an existence as a shop assistant while her mother tended the house.
By the age of sixteen Georgette had already lost her whole family: her parents died in penury in Le Havre's Hospital and her only brother lost his life aged twenty-six fighting for France during the First World War. It was then she decided to take her chance in Paris and very soon after her arrival she married. But once again fate was not kind as her new husband also lost his life serving his country in 1917.
Thus the Great War robbed Georgette of one husband but subsequently introduced her to another; this marked a turning point in her life and provided great recompense for all that had gone before.
Jan Mac Donald (1890-1968) was the son of a well-to-do Scottish tobacco manufacturer and held the rank of Captain in the Royal Air Force when he met Georgette, whom he subsequently married in 1926. They settled in France and in later years Mac Donald became Vice-Consul to the city of Tours where the beautiful Chateau de Rouziers became their home. In these genteel surroundings Georgette was renowned as a gracious hostess and a prominent social figure, and many of their circle of friends were drawn from the Rotary Club.
Jan Mac Donald's experience as an astute businessman provided a generous income for Geogette after his death, and she became a millionnaire in her own right. However, wealth and happiness never let her forget the suffering of her youth. Though she had spent seventy-five years away from her birth place she still retained the poignant memory of Le Havre's poor and in particular memory of her parents, those who awaited treatment at the hospital. On behalf of those people, Georgette Mac Donald's legacy totalled more than $ 2,000,000. The collection offered today is part of Mrs. Mac Donald estate and the proceeds will be included in this generous donation.