At Towersey this year I trotted out the story of why there is often a lady's head carved at the headstock.

The one about George Sands liking the instrument so much when she returned to her estate that she bought them for the impoverished estate workers/players to keep the tradition alive. They in gratitude had her likeness carved on the instruments. eg this link

Now. The lass I chose (unwisely) to talk to was a (quote) historian and hurdy gurdiarist. Her comment was said with such swiftness and dismissal as to cause a certain uncertainty (as it were).

She said "She was a bourgeois ,why should she have anything to do with the peasants?" (amongst other things).

One thing I know about music and human preferences - anything is possible. And when vast amounts of unearned money is involved - even moreso.

So where does the story emanate from?