Karsh Signature

Yousuf Karsh, master photographer of the 20th century

Viscountess Astor

Viscountess Astor, 1946

Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, was the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat, winning a by-election on November 28, 1919. Astor was an American citizen who moved to England at age 26, where she married American-born Englishman Waldorf Astor. After he succeeded to the peerage and entered the House of Lords, she entered politics, and in 1919 she won his former seat in Plymouth and became the first woman to sit as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons.

Viscountess Astor was photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1946, one year after she was “persuaded to retire.” Read about her fascinating life.

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