Several comments in the article below refer to this photo. |
Hopedale History December 2019 No 377 American Princess: 1922 <><><>:<><><><><><><>
Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot dead in their sleep during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers Construction commences on the Three Gorges Dam, at Sandouping, China. Online service America Online offers gateway to World Wide Web for the first time. This marked the beginning of easy accessibility of the Web to the average person in the U.S. Fifty years ago – December 1969 - The first draft lottery in the United States since World War II is held. The Altamont Free Concert is held at the Altamont Speedway in northern California. Hosted by The Rolling Stones, it is an attempt at a "Woodstock West" and is best known for the uproar of violence that occurred. It is viewed by many as the "end of the sixties." The animated Rankin Bass Christmas special Frosty the Snowman premiers on CBS. News items above are from Wikipedia. For Hopedale news from 25, 50 and 100 years ago, see below this text box. <><><><><><><><><><> American Princess: 1922 Shorpy.com is a photo website. "The American historical photo archive." Great stuff. Well worth a look. In 2008, the picture of Princess Margaret Draper Boncompagni, above, was posted on Shorpy. Although Shorpy titled it, American Princess, Margaret had to become an Italian citizen and a Catholic to have the title. Here are some of the comments that appeared under the picture on Shorpy. Margaret was my aunt Submitted by Gigi Murphy on Tue, 01/25/2011 There are a LOT of nasty comments here. My grandmother, Grace Draper Gallaway, was a good friend of Aunt Margaret so I'll pass on some inside scoop. The Prince brought his mistress with him on their honeymoon, she of course was shocked. Why would anyone consummate a marriage under such conditions? Margaret never had children of her own, but was exceedingly generous with her money. I know she put my father and at least one of his brothers through boarding school and college. She lived near my parents in Washington and would often take them out to dinner or share a table at a charity event with them. She gave a Christmas gift to all her nieces & nephews, (and she had 6 step siblings, so that was a fair amount), and was always very giving with what she had. I have never heard anything negative said about her, only that she was very kind, and again, very generous. Margaret Preston Draper Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Wed, There's an article about Margaret, with photos, in the book "Crowning Glory: American Wives of Princes and Dukes." It can be ordered from AmericanPrincesses.com (Here it is at Goodreads.) U.S. nobility Submitted by robcat2075 So she couldn't even recall the date of her wedding? How embarrassing. Embarrassing also to admit your marriage had never been consummated. Or maybe that was a plus back then? The US Constitution prohibits the government from awarding titles of nobility, and prohibits anyone in service to the government from accepting a title from a foreign power without Congressional approval, but private citizens may take on all the titles they can bear. [Margaret's title was Italian. She and the prince lived in Italy. - Dave] Wow! Submitted by MabelNormand. Do you realize that half a million dollars then would be $6,511,398.81 today? Boy do I wish I were her, or at least had lived in the "Roaring Twenties." Sordid details--revealed! Submitted by Poulette According to one site--family lore posted by the g-granddaughter of the Princess' half-sister Edith, it would appear that the reason was the ol' Prince had a little something on the side (see excerpt below). Another site claims similar, but not the same story (the second wife claims she was always the true love of said prince!) In either case, the official reason for the annulment was non-consummation. At age 25, Margaret Preston Draper married 32-year-old Italian "Papal" Prince Andrea Boncompagni. According to family lore, the elder Prince Boncompangni had little money so he pawned a cherished tapestry to William Franklin Draper, the American ambassador to Italy. He regretted this and wanted to get the tapestry back, so he arranged for his son to marry the ambassador's daughter Margaret. He was devoted to his mistress and their children, however, and the marriage was annulled, apparently never having been consummated. The cherished tapestry was returned, and Margaret was allowed to continue using the name Princess Margaret Boncompagni. Hopedale and Draper Submitted by MikeT I grew up right near Hopedale, and I had never heard this history. Lots of the towns in the area have old empty mills, but I guess I never realized how much money these mills made. Speaking Tubes Submitted by Anonymous Tipster I've never seen speaking tubes in a car, but the Chicago 2-flat in which I grew up had speaking tubes for visitors at the front door. Located in the hallway next to the kitchen, you could check on who was at the door and buzz them in. My father took the tubes out of service for some reason. (The building was built in the mid-thirties.) And by the way, Margaret is obviously closing the door, not opening it! Repatriation Submitted by stanton_square I don't know about the dual citizenship/royalty issue, but for what its worth, there is a Oct 8, 1938 news piece about Margaret Draper regarding repatriation: Driven from Europe by gathering war clouds, the Princess Boncompagni, former Washington girl, will seek repatriation, it was learned yesterday. The Italian princess, once Miss Margaret Preston Draper, has asked her bank to search the files of the District Building to ascertain the exact date of her marriage to Prince Andrea Boncompagni. Now, the definition of repatriation suggests that it can mean either a return to the home country or a restoration of citizenship. The search for documents suggests that she was seeking to reestablish a legal status. Princess? Submitted by Anonymous Tipster Does anybody want to point out that one can not be a Princess or any other "royalty" or representative of another government and still retain U.S. Citizenship? Was anything made of this at the time. [Why would you think that? Grace Kelly, even after marrying Prince Rainier and becoming Princess Grace of Monaco, retained her American citizenship. - Dave] An Illustrious Family Submitted by Anonymous Tipster Here is the genealogy of the family Boncompagni Ludovisi. Margaret died in 1973, Andrea in 1948. In Rome there is a Museum Boncompagni Ludovisi. In via Boncompagni Ludovisi there is a side entrance of the American embassy which is located in the former residence of the queen mother of Italy. Poor dead fox Submitted by Anonymous Tipster I'm looking at this hideous coat with the three-ball pattern and the horrifically ugly dress with the basketweave and the crooked hem and I can only conclude that the fox died of embarrassment. Former Miss Draper Reported in Romance (Special Cable Dispatch) Paris, Jun 22 - Society is humming with reports that Princess Boncompagni, formerly Miss Margaret Draper, of Boston and Washington, and heiress to a $6,000,000 estate from her father, the late Gen. William F. Draper, formerly the American Ambassador in Rome, will soon marry again. Her marriage to Prince Andrea Boncompagni was recently annulled. The princess is seen constantly in Paris social affairs accompanied by Prince Ottoboni, a handsome Italian. Washington Post, Jun 23, 1924 Former Miss Draper Is Sojourning Here For Few Weeks. Princess Margaret Boncompagni, whose return to Washington for a few weeks each winter is a most welcome event, entertained at a luncheon yesterday at the Mayflower for a distinguished company of guests. A daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. William F. Draper, Princess Margaret, as Miss Margaret Draper, made her debut in the old Draper Mansion, now given over to business establishments, and, after a year or two as a reigning belle, was married there to Prince Andrea Boncompagni-Ludovici, scion of a family which had given two Popes to the Church of Rome. Since they separated she has lived much abroad, but the princess always comes to Washington at least once a year. Washington Post, Feb 5, 1930
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster Was she actually forced by reduced circumstances to open the car door ALL BY HERSELF!?? Oh, the humanity!! Sordid Details Submitted by mrs_djs I would love to know more about her and what exactly caused her marriage to end. The link that Gooberpea listed was all I could really find too, and qu'un désordre! Too bad Us Weekly wasn't around back then. Or, perhaps too bad it is around today? Cursed Princess Submitted by Gooberpea Wonder why she looks so glum? Consider this: Princess Andrea Boncompagni was born Margaret Preston Draper to socially prominent and wealthy parents in Hopedale, Mass.
Draper family history. A very nice web site run by "Dan in Hopedale". So, do the evil geniuses behind Shorpy.com know of these thrilling backstories when they post the photos, or do they just pick a photo from a pile - come what may? [Comme ci, comme ca. - Dave] Home, James Submitted by BdgBill Is that an actual speaking tube in the chauffeur's compartment? I've never seen one of these outside of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Shorpy site if you'd like to see the complete version. More on Princess Boncompagni Ezine Menu HOME |
Hopedale News - December 1994 |
A hit from 1994 - Bruce Springsteen with Streets of Philadelphia. |
Hopedale News - December 1969 |
Hopedale News - December 1919 |
From 1969 - Honky Tonk Women |
