Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland

Her Grace The Dowager Duchess of Rutland
Portrait of Violet Manners, Marchioness of Granby
Born	Marion Margaret Violet Lindsay (1856-03-07)7 March 1856
Died	22 December 1937(1937-12-22) (aged 81) Chapel Street, London
Resting place	Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire
Title	Marchioness of Granby Duchess of Rutland
Spouse	Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland
Children	Marjorie Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey Robert Manners, Lord Haddon John Manners, 9th Duke of Rutland Violet Charteris, Lady Elcho Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich
Parent(s)	Charles Lindsay Emilia Anne Browne

Marion Margaret Violet Manners, Dowager Duchess of Rutland (née Lindsay; 7 March 1856 – 22 December 1937) was a British artist and noblewoman. A granddaughter of the 24th Earl of Crawford, she married Henry Manners in 1882. She was styled the Marchioness of Granby from 1888 to 1906, when Manners succeeded as Duke of Rutland. She had five children, including John Manners, the 9th Duke of Rutland and the socialite Lady Diana Cooper.

Though she had no formal training as an artist, the Duchess painted portraits of her social circle. Many of her works were displayed at various major art exhibits in the UK, including the Grosvenor Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the New Gallery. Violet was also a prominent member of The Souls, an aristocratic social circle that favoured intellectual pursuits and avant-garde artistic tastes. Known for her beauty, she was the subject of many paintings. Watts Gallery Trust acquired a beautiful Watts portrait of her in Dec 2016 (Art Fund, the ACE/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and donors). Inspired by the acquisition, John Julius Norwich (a prominent historian and Violet's grandson) donated over 40 of Violet's own drawings, including a self-portrait and a portrait of Harry Cust. She became engaged in sculpting after the death of her elder son Robert in 1894.