The Souls were a loosely-knit but distinctive social group in England, from about 1880 to 1920. The Coterie was often considered as the second generation of The Souls. They were a mix of aristocrats, politicians and art-lovers. They were patrons of artists of the time, including Edward Burne-Jones and James Whistler. The memoirs of Margot Asquith, active as a hostess, make the point that in the broader reaches of their entertaining Liberal and Conservative politicians would meet without constraint. Their numbers included a future Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, and a future Viceroy of India in George Curzon.
Prominent in The Souls were the five Wyndhams: George Wyndham who was a politician and writer; Guy Percy who was a soldier; Madeline (married Charles Adeane); Mary who became Lady Elcho; and Pamela who married Edward Tennant , one of the Tennants (as was Margot Asquith), the other inevitable family in the Souls. They were the children of Percy Wyndham and the artist Madeline Campbell. The three Wyndham sisters were painted in a joint portrait by John Singer Sargent.
References
- The Souls (1984) by Jane Abdy and Charlotte Gere
- Unquiet Souls (1984) by Angela Lambert
