Skittles à cheval - an equestrian portrait of Catherine Walters, by Jean Édouard Lacretelle, circa 1867-68

 

Catherine Walters (13 June 1839, Liverpool – 5 August 1920, London), also known as "Skittles", one of the last of the great courtesans of Victorian England, her benefactors believed to have included intellectuals, leaders of political parties, aristocrats, and a member of the British Royal Family. Her nickname is thought to have originated from her having worked at a bowling alley in Chesterfield Street near Park Lane, "skittles" being the name of the game which evolved into bowling. At other times, she was known as "Mrs. Behrens" and "Mrs. Baillie", even though she is not thought to have ever married. She was not known as a great beauty, but what was undisputed was her perfect figure and her great skill as a horsewoman. She, notably, became the mistress of Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington - later eighth Duke of Devonshire - who set her up in a Mayfair house with an annuity. Her position allowed her to travel in social circles which included the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. In the 1860s, the sight of Walters riding in Rotten Row in Hyde Park actually drew sightseers, and she became known as a fashion trendsetter, with aristocratic ladies copying the cut of her perfectly fitted riding habits. At the height of her celebrity, she left London for New York and then Paris. She remained on the continent for ten years, creating a salon in Paris, only returning to England for the hunting season, further establishing her reputation as a superb horsewoman. She returned to London in 1872 and established a salon there as she had in Paris. During her life as a courtesan, her discretion and loyalty made her a sought-after companion, giving longevity to her career, and helping her to retire a wealthy woman around 1890. At her death from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of eighty-one, she left a very considerable estate.

Two characteristic photographs of Walters, both posed against painted backdrops.

The portrait was previously thought to portray Elisabeth, Empress of Austria; though the empress was an enthusiastic equestrienne, the figure in the painting in no way resembles her. It was presumably acquired by King Edward VII while Prince of Wales, and was first recorded at Buckingham Palace in 1909.

*

Jean Édouard Lacretelle (4 June 1817, Forbach (Moselle) - 3 May 1900, Paris), French artist, working in London by 1851. He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1841 to 1881 and at the Royal Academy from 1851 to 1891. Principally known as a portrait painter, he also produced genre scenes and equestrian works.