Lady Russell-Cotes

Merton and Annie Russell-Cotes travelled to many countries. It had been suggested by a friend that when they were in Rome that they commissioned busts of themselves in marble. In his autobiography, Home and Abroad, Merton records ‘We … made the necessary arrangements with Signor Gazzeri, a sculptor of considerable fame to execute the work for us.’ Gazzeri exhibited at the Italian Exhibition organized at Earl's Court in London in 1888 and at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1904. He lived in California from 1928-1934.

We know little about Annie but what we do know suggests she was a charming, insightful and intelligent woman. She was a member of the Ethnological Society and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature for her travel writing. On her 66th birthday in 1901, Merton gave his wife, Annie, East Cliff Hall – now the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum. This gift was an expression of deep love for his wife and celebrated their life together travelling and collecting around the world. They gifted their house and Edwardian galleries to the people of Bournemouth in 1908.