Gabrielle (Nelly) de Rothschild (née Beer) (1886-1945)

Gabrielle Régine (Nelly) Beer (1886-1945) was descended from a family of Berlin financiers. The composer Jacob Liebmann Beer (known as Giacomo Meyerbeer) (1791-1864), one of most frequently performed opera composers during the nineteenth century, was a relative.

Nelly married Robert de Rothschild (1880-1946) in Paris in 1907. Robert Philippe Gustave de Rothschild was the youngest child of Gustave (1829-1911) and Cécile (1840-1912). Robert played a major role in the management of the Paris banking house. The couple lived in Paris on the avenue Friedland, and inherited the family home at avenue Marigny and the estate of Laversine on the death of Gustave in 1911. They had three children; Diane Cécile (1907–1996), James Gustave Jules (Alain) (1910–1982), Cécile (1913–1995) and Elie (1917–2007).

Nelly and Robert shared a family love of music and art, forming a collection of works by Picasso and Modigliani at a shrewdly early time; both had their portraits painted by De László. They supported many Jewish charities in Paris, but were forced to flee the city when war broke out and their French citizenship was nullified. Arriving in New York in 1940, they continued to support Jewish causes. Nelly died in New York aged 58 after an illness of several months.