The Howard Family
Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Up to 1873-02-28
An English family wintering in Nice with whom Marie had a friendly relationship. The family included a mother and daughters (referred to as "the Howards") who invited Marie for horseback rides and social visits.
Family Members Mentioned
- Mrs. Howard (the mother)
- At least two Howard daughters (possibly including Helene and Lise Howard - see separate glossary entries)
Mentions in the Diary
- February 21, 1873: The Howard daughters came to fetch Marie at 9 AM for a horseback ride to Carabacel. Marie's horse Coco misbehaved, and Mrs. Howard kindly accompanied Marie home afterward.
- February 27, 1873: Marie's mother tells her "Now with the Howards it's finished, the Tutscheff are there" - the Howards had a dinner party to which the Tutscheff were invited but the Bashkirtseffs were not. This snub clearly stung.
- February 27, 1873 (later same day): Despite the earlier snub, when Marie encounters the Howard daughters and their mother during her promenade, they are exceptionally friendly, taking her arms on both sides and walking with her to buy gloves.
- February 28, 1873: Marie visits the Howard residence (described as "Howard (Russe)" suggesting they were actually Russian despite the English name). There she meets Mlle Betalli.
Historical Context
The Howard family represents the complex social dynamics of Nice's winter colony. Despite their English surname, the diary note "Howard (Russe)" suggests they may have been Russians with an anglicized name, or perhaps English people who had lived in Russia, or a mixed family.
The shifting nature of Marie's relationship with them - from friendly horseback riding to being excluded from a dinner party to warm encounters the next day - illustrates the delicate and sometimes volatile social relationships among the aristocratic visitors to Nice.
%%2025-12-07T12:45:00 RSR: Need to research whether Helene_Howard.md and Lise_Howard.md refer to this same family%%