Crafting Authentic and Dynamic Female Characters in Historical Fiction

Crafting Authentic and Dynamic Female Characters in Historical Fiction

Crafting Authentic and Dynamic Female Characters in Historical Fiction

Character development

In the world of historical fiction, the portrayal of characters is a captivating art form. Historical figures, just like people today. So based on the condition that this holds true for both men and women, authors need to build intricate layers of complexity, encompassing their thoughts, emotions, desires, and beliefs.

However, the first thing to remember when it comes to creating strong and compelling female characters in historical fiction is that writers, regardless of their gender, often find it difficult to depict characters of the opposite sex with authenticity and nuance. But, don’t let this put you off. Men can write with authenticity about women and women can write authentically about men. To truly bring historical female characters to life, it is essential to delve deep into their psyche and imbue them with the richness and depth they deserve. This blog post aims to explore effective techniques for developing multidimensional and well-rounded female characters within the historical fiction genre.

One crucial aspect of character development is ensuring that your characters possess the same level of complexity as people in contemporary society. They should think, feel, and possess a compelling backstory, desires, and beliefs. By doing so, readers can relate to them on a profound and genuine level, transcending the barriers of time and culture.

The Big Five – Writing Strong Female Characters

Category:Big five personality traits - Wikimedia Commons

As you embark on the journey of crafting authentic female characters, consider examining where they stand on the Big Five Personality Traits – a model widely used in psychology to assess human personality. These traits include:

  1. Openness: How receptive is your character to new experiences, ideas, and perspectives? Are they curious and intellectually adventurous? Weaving these traits into their narrative can make them relatable and engaging.
  2. Conscientiousness: Does your character display traits of being organized, responsible, and self-disciplined? Are they meticulous in their actions and possess a strong sense of duty? Exploring the impact of conscientiousness on their decisions and interactions can add depth to their portrayal.
  3. Extraversion: Is your character outgoing, sociable, and energized by social interactions? Or do they lean towards introversion, finding solace in introspection and personal reflection? By understanding their position on this spectrum, you can create realistic dynamics within their relationships and social environments.
  4. Agreeableness: How compassionate, cooperative, and empathetic is your character? Are they inclined towards altruism and forming harmonious connections with others? Delving into their agreeableness can reveal their motivations, conflicts, and potential for growth.
  5. Neuroticism: Does your character experience emotional instability, anxiety, or mood swings? Alternatively, are they characterized by emotional stability and resilience? Exploring their emotional landscape can provide a profound insight into their reactions to adversity and their overall character development.

By thoughtfully considering these personality traits, you can infuse your historical female characters with authenticity, allowing them to resonate with readers on a deep and meaningful level. Remember, just as people today, historical figures deserve to be portrayed as complex individuals with their own hopes, fears, and aspirations.

On the whole, it must be said that writing historical fiction is an opportunity to breathe life into the past, bridging the gap between eras and cultures. By creating compelling and well-rounded female characters, you can offer readers a captivating journey through time while showcasing the strength, resilience, and complexity of women throughout history. So, embrace the challenge, dive into research, and let your characters shine as vibrant testaments to the enduring spirit of humanity.

Where would your characters fit in the Myres Briggs range of personality types?

Authenticity in Fiction & Realistic Portrayals

As an author venturing into the realm of historical fiction, my goal is to create believable characters that resonate with readers. To achieve this, I strive to develop multi-dimensional and well-rounded individuals who undergo significant growth and transformation throughout the course of the narrative. The challenges they face shape their reactions, choices, and dialogue, ultimately driving the story forward. See also: 10 Things That Turn Characters Bad.

True Essence

To effectively portray characters, it is essential to reveal their true essence to the reader. This requires a deep understanding of the characters themselves, as well as the dynamics at play within their relationships. While the characters may be unaware of certain aspects of their own personalities, the people around them often possess insights that shed light on these hidden traits. As the story unfolds, the characters embark on a journey of self-discovery, unearthing new aspects of themselves that influence their actions and words.

Self-Awareness

To truly show the reader who the characters are, it is crucial for the actors (the characters themselves) to possess self-awareness. They must grapple with their own strengths, weaknesses, desires, and fears, allowing these elements to shape their behaviour and decision-making. By delving into the depths of their psyches, I can present characters that feel authentic and relatable.

Character Arcs

In order to bring these multi-dimensional characters to life, I believe in the power of character arcs. Over the course of the story, the obstacles I place before them serve as catalysts for change. As they confront and overcome these challenges, they evolve and grow, ultimately transforming into individuals with newfound wisdom and resilience. These arcs allow readers to witness the characters’ development and connect with their journey on a profound level.

By staying true to their personalities and giving them room to grow organically, I can craft narratives that resonate with readers, offering a compelling and immersive experience.

Bring the Past to Life

In the realm of historical fiction, the characters become conduits through which the past comes alive. By revealing their complexities, vulnerabilities, and self-discovery, I hope to captivate readers and provide them with a window into the human condition. The journey of self-understanding, both for the characters and the readers, becomes an enthralling exploration of the intricate web of humanity.


Using a Johari Window – Nuanced Character Development

Writing Multidimensional Characters

When it comes to developing authentic and relatable characters in historical fiction, the Johari Window can serve as a valuable tool. This psychological concept illustrates the different aspects of self-awareness and knowledge that characters possess throughout their journey. By understanding this framework, we can effectively showcase character growth and create engaging narratives.

The Open Pane

In the open pane of the Johari Window, we find the aspects known to both the character and others. These elements are the foundation of the character’s personality and are typically evident in their actions, thoughts, and interactions. By establishing this shared knowledge, we provide readers with a clear understanding of the character’s motivations, strengths, and weaknesses.

The Closed Panes

However, there are also aspects known only to the character themselves. These hidden traits, desires, and fears shape the character’s internal world. Exploring these facets of their personality allows for deeper character development and creates opportunities for self-discovery as the story progresses.

Conversely, there are elements known by others but not yet realized by the character. These insights held by secondary characters or even the reader can add depth and complexity to the narrative. They can act as mirrors, reflecting aspects of the character’s personality that they may be blind to, thereby facilitating growth and self-awareness.

Lastly, there are aspects that remain unknown to both the character and others. These represent the mysteries and revelations that the character will encounter on their journey. As they strive to achieve their desires and confront obstacles, they will unravel these hidden aspects, creating a compelling arc of self-discovery and transformation.

Establishing a Profound Desire or Goal

Mystery Man on Film: Character Goals

To give the character a strong starting point, it is essential to establish a profound desire or goal. This driving force will shape their actions and decisions throughout the story. Whether it’s Jane seeking love or Belle yearning for freedom, the character’s pursuit of their heart’s desires becomes a central focus. However, the path they choose and the choices they make are heavily influenced by the groundwork set in their characterization.

Moral Complexity & Personal Growth

Morally Grey Characters in Books // Why do they make such interesting characters+ book recommendations with such characters – BOOKATHON

It is true that contemporary women’s fiction, including historical and modern literary fiction, often features morally complex characters. These complex characters provide an avenue for extraordinary and unexpected actions, adding depth and intrigue to the narrative. However, it is important to remember that moral complexity should be balanced with authenticity and genuine character development. Your character’s choices should stem from their unique motivations and experiences, rather than being contrived for shock value alone.

That doesn’t mean you can’t develop a morally ‘grey’ character. Morally grey or morally ambiguous characters are those who are not like traditional heroes. They do or have done some morally questionable things whose consequences can make for fascinating reading.

By utilizing the Johari Window and understanding the character’s known and unknown aspects, we can delve into their psyche, emotions, and desires. This framework enables us to create characters who undergo transformative journeys, evolving in response to their challenges and self-discovery. Through thoughtful and nuanced storytelling, we can breathe life into historical figures, allowing readers to connect with their struggles, triumphs, and personal growth.


Memorable Female Characters

What sets apart beloved female characters in literature is their ability to overcome the hurdles society and their families place in their paths. By establishing clear goals and presenting formidable opposition, authors can create compelling narratives that resonate with readers. It is important to note that an attractive female character does not necessarily require a “bad-ass” attitude towards the law, but rather a tenacious spirit and the strength to face adversity head-on.

Strong Female Characters

Elizabeth Bennett

Take Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as an example. Her goal is to secure a marriage with the richest and most handsome man in town. However, her journey is packed with societal expectations, familial pressures, and her own personal biases. To achieve her goal, Elizabeth must challenge her own preconceived notions and navigate the complexities of relationships, ultimately finding love and happiness on her own terms.

Emma Harte

In Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman of Substance, Emma Harte is driven by the ambition to build a business empire and achieve financial independence. Throughout her romantic ups and downs, she encounters numerous obstacles, including gender bias, societal norms, and personal sacrifices. Emma’s determination and resilience allow her to triumph over adversity, establishing a legacy that transcends societal expectations.

Jo March

Similarly, Louisa May Alcott’s Jo March in Little Women aspires to become a teacher and fulfil her writing ambitions. Jo faces challenges such as societal expectations for women, financial constraints, and personal growth. Through her perseverance and determination, Jo not only becomes a successful writer but also finds fulfilment in her personal life.

What makes these characters so well-loved?

What makes these characters so well-loved is their ability to confront and conquer the obstacles placed before them. Their goals are not easily achieved, requiring them to challenge societal norms, familial expectations, and their own limitations. These characters exhibit resilience, adaptability, and the courage to pursue their dreams despite the barriers they encounter.

In creating attractive female characters, it is important to develop well-defined goals that resonate with readers. These goals should be significant, reflecting the character’s desires, passions, or ambitions. By providing strong opposition, whether from society, family, or internal conflicts, authors can generate tension and engage readers in the character’s journey.

Rebel Without a Cause?

However, it is crucial to note that an attractive female character does not necessarily require a rebellious or “bad-ass” attitude towards the law. What truly captivates readers is a character’s depth, authenticity, and relatability. Their strength lies not only in their defiance of societal norms but also in their vulnerability, growth, and the complexity of their emotions.

So, as writers, let us craft female characters with compelling goals and formidable opposition. Let us explore the depths of their resilience, determination, and inner strength as they navigate a world that seeks to confine them. By depicting their journeys with authenticity and nuance, we can create memorable characters that inspire and resonate with readers for generations to come.


Angels are for heaven, not this earthly realm.

Embracing the Flaws: Crafting Complex and Human Characters

In the realm of storytelling, it is the imperfections and flaws that truly make characters come alive. Whether they are angelic or mortal, male or female, the strengths and weaknesses inherent in being human are what shape their narratives and make them intriguingly flawed. It is through these imperfections that characters find their relatability, growth, and ultimately, their memorable qualities.

While angels may symbolize purity and perfection in the heavenly realm, it is the flaws and complexities of human characters that captivate readers on this earthly plane. By embracing and exploring these imperfections, we breathe authenticity and depth into our characters, making them relatable and compelling.

Balancing Flaws and Strengths

Every human, regardless of gender, possesses a unique blend of strengths and weaknesses. These attributes define their character and shape their actions and decisions. However, it is important to remember that relying too heavily on strengths can lead to downfall, just as weaknesses can be a source of growth and resilience.

Crafting interestingly flawed characters involves balancing their strengths and weaknesses, allowing both to shape their journey. Characters who solely rely on their strengths may encounter situations that expose their vulnerabilities, forcing them to confront their limitations and reevaluate their choices. Conversely, characters who begin with apparent weaknesses can find unexpected reserves of strength and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Opportunities for Growth

Flawed characters offer opportunities for growth, transformation, and compelling storylines. Their imperfections create internal and external conflicts, driving the narrative forward and providing readers with a genuine and relatable experience. As writers, we can explore the intricate interplay between strengths and weaknesses, showcasing the complexities of the human condition.

By giving our characters space to evolve and learn from their mistakes, we create narratives that reflect the real-world journey of self-discovery. Characters who acknowledge and address their flaws can experience profound growth, connecting with readers who see aspects of themselves within these struggles and triumphs.

So, as we embark on the task of crafting engaging characters, let us embrace their imperfections. Let us delve into their strengths and weaknesses, exploring the intricate dance between these qualities. By presenting characters who are flawed, yet compelling, we offer readers a mirror to their own human experiences, encouraging empathy, introspection, and an enduring connection to the story being told.

Fears and Weaknesses

Overcoming weaknesses could be the making of a remarkable historical character, so don’t think to create a sassy heroine she has to be macho or fearless.

The most common fears for women are pretty much the same as they have always been. Which of these fears are you going to challenge your female historical characters with?

  • not getting married or finding a life partner,
  • not having kids or losing a child,
  • getting old, maimed, or scarred,
  • being killed or raped,
  • being trapped in a loveless relationship,
  • being abandoned
  • ending up in poverty or dying alone.

Unveiling the Stakes: Empowering Historical Heroines

In the realm of historical fiction, the fate that awaits our heroines adds an element of intrigue and urgency to their narratives. As skilled writers, we have the power to create mesmerizing characters who utilize their strengths, weaknesses, and ingenuity to save themselves from their impending and often dire destinies.

It’s a High Stakes Game

One crucial aspect of storytelling is ensuring that the reader is aware of the high stakes faced by our historical heroines. By clearly communicating the potential consequences of failure, we heighten the tension and engage the reader on a profound emotional level. Whether it is the threat of societal ruin, loss of loved ones, or personal tragedy, the weight of their fate hangs in the balance.

Mesmerizing historical characters understand the gravity of their situations and use every tool at their disposal to overcome the challenges they encounter. They tap into their strengths, leveraging their unique abilities, talents, and resilience to navigate treacherous paths. Simultaneously, they acknowledge their weaknesses, recognizing areas where they must grow or seek assistance.

Ingenuity becomes a valuable ally in their journey.

Ingenuity becomes a valuable ally in their journey. These characters think creatively, seeking unconventional solutions to seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Their resourcefulness, adaptability, and strategic thinking enable them to outmanoeuvre their adversaries and alter their destinies.

By portraying heroines who actively shape their own narratives, we empower readers with a sense of agency and inspire them to face their own challenges with determination and courage. Witnessing the transformation of historical heroines as they defy their horrible fates instils hope and fuels a deep connection between the reader and the character.

Getting the Balance Right

However, it is essential to strike a delicate balance in portraying their struggles. While the stakes may be high, it is equally important to depict moments of vulnerability and emotional resonance. Readers are captivated by the multifaceted nature of characters who showcase a range of emotions, as it mirrors their own humanity. These authentic portrayals add depth and relatability, fostering a stronger connection between the reader and the heroine.

In the realm of historical fiction, we have the power to breathe life into captivating heroines who defy their predetermined fates. By clearly establishing the stakes, showcasing their strengths and weaknesses, and highlighting their ingenuity, we create narratives that grip readers and transport them to the past. These heroines inspire, empower, and ignite the imagination, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those who embark on their extraordinary journeys.


Not the Prettiest Girl in Town

Characters we come to love are not the prettiest girls in town or the girls who never lose their temper.

Embracing Imperfections:

Complex and Resilient Historical Heroines

A point often overlooked is that the most beloved characters in literature are not always the prettiest or the ones who never lose their temper. Instead, it is their complexity, unique traits, and relatable flaws that captivate readers and make them truly unforgettable.

Take J.K. Rowling’s Hermione Granger, for example. She is a know-it-all, fiercely intelligent, and unafraid to showcase her vast knowledge. Rowling said the character of Hermione has several autobiographical influences: “I did not set out to make Hermione like me but she is a bit like me. She is an exaggeration of how I was when I was younger.” She recalled being called a “little know-it-all” in her youth. And she says that not unlike herself, “there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure” beneath Hermione’s swottiness. Finally, according to Rowling, next to Albus Dumbledore, Hermione is the perfect expository character; because of her encyclopedic knowledge, she can always be used as a plot dump to explain the Harry Potter universe. Rowling also states that her feminist conscience is rescued by Hermione, “who’s the brightest witch of her age” and a “very strong female character.”

Dorothy L. Sayers’ Harriet Vane, a gawky and unorthodox bluestocking, faces false accusations of murder, demonstrating her resilience and determination. Vane, a mystery writer, initially meets Lord Peter Wimsey while she is on trial for poisoning her lover (Strong Poison).

Louisa May Alcott’s Jo March possesses a fearful temper. Second oldest of the four sisters, Jo is boy-like, the smartest, most creative one in the family; her father has referred to her as his “son Jo,” and her best friend and neighbour, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, sometimes calls her “my dear fellow.”

On balance, historical women, much like their fictional counterparts, were multifaceted individuals with their own pride, intellect, ambitions, and flaws. They experienced pain, harboured hatred towards certain individuals, and were susceptible to the wounds inflicted upon them by society.

Incorporating these authentic emotions and qualities into your historical female characters brings them to life. They become relatable, tangible figures who bleed when pricked, figuratively speaking. These heroines, despite their imperfections, possess strength, resilience, and an indomitable spirit that allow them to navigate the challenges of their time.

Getting the Right Male Protagonist

If your historical female character finds herself as the sidekick to an all-conquering male protagonist, it is entirely valid for her to feel peeved and occasionally disrupt the narrative. These moments of rebellion and disruption can add depth to her character, highlighting her desires for autonomy and recognition.

By embracing the complexities of historical heroines, we pay homage to the diverse experiences and struggles faced by women throughout history. We acknowledge their desires, dreams, and ambitions, while also recognizing the obstacles and limitations imposed upon them.

So, as writers, let us celebrate the imperfections and complexities of our historical heroines. Let us create multidimensional characters who embody pride, intellect, and ambition, while also allowing them to experience a range of emotions and confront the injustices of their time. By doing so, we empower these characters and offer readers a rich tapestry of resilience, determination, and the indomitable spirit of women throughout history.


Unleashing the Unexpected: Surprising Character Journeys

As writers, one of the joys of storytelling is allowing our characters to surprise us and, in turn, surprise themselves. By turning the tables, flipping expectations, and making the seemingly impossible possible, we create narratives that captivate and engage readers.

In the creative process, it is essential to give our characters the space to grow, evolve, and challenge their own limits. We can achieve this by presenting them with unexpected situations, encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones and explore uncharted territory.

By letting our characters find their courage, they can overcome obstacles they never thought possible. This growth may emerge from fortuitous mistakes or taking advice that seems questionable at first. These moments of experimentation and risk-taking can lead to new perspectives, personal growth, and surprising triumphs.

However, on the negative side, growth often comes hand in hand with painful lessons. Our characters may be confronted by their own hypocrisy or face the consequences of their own actions. These moments of reckoning provide opportunities for introspection, self-reflection, and character development.

As the narrative unfolds, characters may stumble upon secrets that grant them power over others. This newfound knowledge can test their morality, leading them into temptation and challenging their integrity. How they handle these temptations reveals aspects of their character and provides rich opportunities for exploration.

By allowing our characters to surprise themselves, we create a sense of authenticity and depth. Just like real people, they are complex beings who navigate their own journeys of self-discovery. Through their choices and actions, they reveal their true nature and uncover hidden strengths and vulnerabilities.

As writers, we are guides and witnesses to these character transformations. We set the stage, present the challenges, and watch as our characters navigate their paths. By relinquishing control to some extent and allowing the characters to surprise us, we create narratives that are dynamic, unpredictable, and resonate deeply with readers.

So, let us embrace the unexpected in our storytelling. Lead our characters into uncharted territory, challenge their beliefs, and watch as they evolve and surprise themselves. By doing so, we create narratives that are vibrant, authentic, and reflect the rich tapestry of the human experience.


About the Author

Julia Herdman’s historical fiction novel, Sinclair is a captivating story set in the late 18th century, with strong female leads and themes of love, loss, redemption, and personal growth. The backdrop of 18th-century London, with its stark contrasts between the rich and the poor, adds depth and richness to the narrative. The book immerses readers in a world where compassion and kindness coexist with ambition, conflict, and temptation.

Through the experiences of the prodigal son, James Sinclair, who undergoes a transformative journey after a shipwreck, the novel explores themes of remorse, restitution, and recovery. The twists and tragedies encountered by the characters further enhance the depth of the story.

Sinclair offers readers a glimpse into the society and challenges of the 18th century while leaving them with a sense of fulfilment and positivity. It is a testament to the human spirit and the possibilities for growth and redemption that exist within us all.

Sinclair by Julia Herdman is available on Amazon.

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For more tips on writing see:

Six Rules for Writing Historical Fiction

The Present Past – Writing History

10 Things That Turn a Character Bad

About

How to Write Historical Fiction

Maria Cosway the Artist who Captured the Heart of Thomas Jefferson

Maria Cosway the Artist who Captured the Heart of Thomas Jefferson

 

Maria Hadfield Cosway, Repelling the Spirit of Melancholy

Maria Cosway was born Luisa Caterina Cecilia Hadfield was born on 11 June 1760 in Florence, Italy to Charles Hadfield, who was a native of Shrewsbury, England, and an Italian mother.

Her father was a successful innkeeper at Livorno, where he had become very wealthy. The Hadfields operated three inns in Tuscany, all frequented by British aristocrats taking the Grand Tour.

One of eight children Maria was born into a comfortable and happy family. Her life should have been a tranquil one. Unbeknown to the family tragedy would overtake them when four of the Hadfield children were killed by their  mentally ill nursemaid who claimed she was sending the children to heaven. Luckily she was caught and imprisoned before she could kill Maria.

While still in Florence, Maria Hadfield  studied art and painting under Violante Cerroti and Johann Zoffany.

The Florentine Violante Beatrice Siries (1709–1783) was an Italian painter of repute. She studied under Hyacinthe Rigaud and François Boucher in Paris from 1726. When she returned to Florence she married Giuseppe Cerroti. She was talented in several genres, but established herself as a famous portraitist She gained the patronage of the Medici family in 1731 and travelled to Rome and Vienna to paint various members of the family .Her most ambitious work was a fourteen figure family group of the emperor Charles VI, the father of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa in 1735. Three of her self-portraits are preserved in the Uffizi Gallery.

Johann Zoffany (1733 -1810) was a German neoclassical painter, active mainly in England, Italy and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections such as the National Gallery, London, the Tate Gallery and in the Royal Collection, as well as institutions in Europe, India, the United States and Australia.  While Zoffany was painting The Tribuna of the Uffizi  in 1773 Hadfield copied Old Masters at the Uffizi Gallery. She continued copying for another five years and experimenting until 1778 when she was elected to the Academia del Disegno in Florence in 1778. She also went to Rome, where she studied art under Pompeo Batoni, Anton Raphael Mengs, Henry Fuseli, and Joseph Wright of Derby.

Self Portrait With Arms Folded

On 18 January 1781, Maria Hadfield married a fellow artist, the celebrated miniature portrait painter Richard Cosway, in what is thought to have been a marriage of convenience.

Richard was born in Tiverton, Devon, the son of a schoolmaster. He was initially educated at Blundell’s School but at the age of twelve he was allowed to travel to London to take lessons in painting. He won a prize from the Society of Artists in 1754 and by 1760 had established his own business. He exhibited his first works at the age of 20 in 1762 and was soon in demand.

Maria’s husband was one of the first group of associate members of the Royal Academy, elected in August 1770, and was elected a full member the following March, on the casting vote of the academy’s president, Sir Joshua Reynolds.  He was 20 years Maria’s senior, known as a libertine, and was repeatedly unfaithful to her.

Richard Cosway was “commonly described as resembling a monkey.” Her Italian manners were so foreign that her husband kept Maria secluded until she fully mastered the English language. Cosway also forbade his wife from painting, possibly out of fear of the gossip which surrounded women painters.

Her Self-Portrait with Arms Folded is seen as a response his command. The reprobate Cosway, realised his wife was his best financial asset and changed his mind.

More than 30 of her works were displayed at the Royal Academy of Art from 1781 until 1801. She soon enhanced her reputation as an artist, especially when her portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire in the character of Cynthia was exhibited.

Rather than being a social embarrassment she could claim the Hon. Mrs. Darner, the Countess of Aylesbury; Lady Cecilia Johnston; and the Marchioness of Townshend among her acquaintances.

In 1784, the Cosways moved into Schomberg House, Pall Mall, and developed a fashionable salon for London society. Richard was Principal Painter of the Prince of Wales, and Maria served as hostess to artists, members of royalty including the Prince, and politicians including Horace Walpole, Gouverneur Morris and James Boswell all attended the couples soirees. Maria who could speak several languages and had an international circle of friends.

The man who would be the American President Thomas Jefferson met the Cosways in August 1786 at the Halle aux Bleds in Paris, through the American artist John Trumbull. According to Trumbull, the President’s entourage “was occupied with the same industry in examining whatever relates to the arts …. Mr. Jefferson joined our party almost daily.” Their excursions included sites such as Versailles, the Louvre, Louis XIV’s retreat Marly, the Palais Royal, St. Germain, and the Column at the Désert de Retz.

Jefferson was enchanted by Maria, and her departure from Paris in October 1786 compelled him to write the only existing love letter in the vast collection of his correspondence.

In ‘The dialogue between my Head and my Heart,” dated October 12th and 13th, 1786. Jefferson poured out the contents of both. The bulk of the letter is a dialogue between Jefferson’s calculating reason (for which he is well known) and his spontaneous emotions (for which he is lesser known). Jefferson describes his emotional state after she has left saying he is “the most wretched of all earthly beings” and his reason responds by admonishing him for his attachment. His heart defends itself saying that no one will care for him who cares for nobody.

Their marriage was never a happy one. Richard and Maria had one child together, Louisa Paolina Angelica. The couple eventually separated. Maria took herself back to the continent. On one occasion accompanied by Luigi Marchesi, a famous Italian castrato. Marchesi was reputed to have been the handsomest castrato of all time and was said to have been adored by the whole female population of Rome. Maria, was a beautiful woman who attracted the most gifted and handsome of men.

Whether she ever had a relationship with Jefferson remains a mystery. Though her husband’s extramarital affairs were no secret, Cosway was  a married woman and a devout Catholic when she met him so it is unlikely she entered into sexual relationship with him. The pair did however engage in correspondence.

After returning to America in 1789, Jefferson’s letters to her grew less frequent; partly due to the fact that he was increasingly preoccupied by his position as President George Washington’s secretary of state. She, however, continued to write to him. In her letters she vented her frustration at his growing aloofness. She clearly wanted a some passion to pass between them even if it was only in writing.  In his last letters, he spoke more of his scientific studies than of his love and desire for her. Finally he admitted that his love for her had been relegated to fond memories of when their relationship had been “pure.” Whatever that meant.

Their relationship was fictionalised in ‘Jefferson in Paris‘ a 1995 Franco-American historical drama film, directed by James Ivory, which had previously entitled Head and Heart. The screenplay, by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, is a semi-fictional account of Thomas Jefferson’s tenure as the Ambassador of the United States to France before his Presidency and of his alleged relationships with British artist Maria Cosway and his slave, Sally Hemings.

Maria Cosway eventually moved to Lodi, in Italy, where  she established a convent school for girls. Cosway and Jefferson wrote to one another occasionally, with letters coming first from Cosway.

At her home in Lodi, Cosway kept the portrait of Jefferson by John Trumbull that is now at the White House. It was presented to the United States by the Italian government on the occasion of the 1976 Bicentennial of the American Revolution.

Today, Cosway’s paintings and engravings are held by the British Museum, the New York Public Library and the British Library. Her work was included in recent exhibits at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 1995–96 and the Tate Britain in 2006.

Julia Herdman writes history ad historical fiction. Her latest book Sinclair, Tales of Tooley Street Vol. 1. is  Available on Amazon – Paperback £10.99 and Kindle  Also available on:

Amazon Australia

Amazon Canada

Amazon New Zealand

Amazon South Africa

Amazon USA

See Also:

The History of the Love Letter

How to Write a Good Love Letter

Women, Crime and Punishment

Women, Crime and Punishment

Through most of history, men were thought of as the stronger sex. Men were and in many cases still are considered to be the more violent, more intelligent, more courageous, and the more determined sex.

Women were considered more placid and at worst governed by their unpredictable emotions. The ideal woman was expected to be passive, chaste, modest, compassionate, and pious.

Historians claim that the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries witnessed a significant separation of the sexes in society. For example, at that time women and men to started to develop separate social lives. Women took tea at home, while men frequented the coffee shops in town. Women started to withdraw from the dining table after a meal to let the men smoke and talk politics while they concerned themselves with more domestic topics of conversation, played cards and drank tea. These social changes were in part due to increased wealth and to some extent, the growing influence of evangelical Christianity, which placed a high moral value on female domesticity, virtue, and religiosity. The women of the comfortably off were not expected to want for anything and if they did they were expected to keep their desires to themselves.

Rope, Model, Hands, Bondage, Freedom, Passion, FictionThose girls and women of the lower classes who broke society’s rules were treated with a mixture of cruelty and disdain. When it came to crime, women were accused of fewer, and different, crimes to men. At the Old Bailey women accounted for only 21% of the defendants tried between 1674 and 1913. This  figure masks a significant chronological change, however. While women accounted for around 40% of the defendants from the 1690s to the 1740s (and, highly unusually, over half the defendants in the first decade of the eighteenth century), over the course of the period this proportion declined significantly.

The shadow of Newgate Prison looms over the book Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe just as the real building must have loomed over surrounding London. Moll starts her life in that cold place, and she comes pretty close to ending it there, too. The prison is mentioned nearly forty times over the course of the book, more than any other place or even any other character’s name. Moll enters the prison as a thief and says looked around upon all the horrors of that dismal place.

‘I looked on myself as lost, and that I had nothing to think of but of going out of the world, and that with the utmost infamy: the hellish noise, the roaring, swearing, and clamour, the stench and nastiness, and all the dreadful crowd of afflicting things that I saw there, joined together to make the place seem an emblem of hell itself, and a kind of an entrance into it.'(Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe.)

By the early nineteenth century only 22% of defendants were women, and as the twentieth century dawned that percentage had dropped to 9%. By the early twentieth century serious crime had become a mainly male problem and female deviance was viewed as a consequence of sexual immorality and mental defectiveness and was addressed through other agencies such as the asylum. Reasons for admission were various and included Egotism, Fever and Jealousy, Immoral Life, Novel Reading, Nymphomania, Shooting a daughter, Greediness and Self Abuse between 1864 and 1889  according to a poster from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in the US.Similar practices occurred in the UK.

During the 18th century women tended to be accused of certain kinds of theft – pickpocketing, shoplifting, theft from lodging houses, theft from their masters stores, and for receiving stolen goods. The more serious crimes that women were involved in included coining, kidnapping, keeping a brothel, and offences surrounding childbirth such as infanticide, concealing a birth or illegal abortions. Young women who fell prey to their employers and their employer’s sons often found themselves with an unwanted child and no job.Although prostitution itself was not tried at the Old Bailey, keeping a brothel was, and women account for about a third of those prosecuted for brothel keeping.

Of the 47 infanticide cases Naomi Clifford read researching her book, It is Women and the Gallows: Unfortunate Wretches, 13 ended in the acquittal of the manslaughter or murder charge but the conviction rate for the lesser crime of concealing a birth, for which the defendants were given prison sentences ranging from 14 days to 2 years more commonly brought in a guilty verdict. When convicted of infanticide a woman was usually hanged.

Appearing as a defendant at the Old Bailey must have been a significantly more intimidating experience for women than it was for men. All court personnel, from the judges and jury to lawyers and court officials were men except when a panel of all women was convened. These all female juries were  known as a ‘jury of matrons’ and were called to determine the validity of a convicted woman’s plea that she was pregnant. Pregnant women could not be hanged until they had delivered their unborn child.

There is some evidence that juries treated evidence presented by female witnesses more sceptically than that delivered by men. The testimony of women was more likely to be omitted from court proceedings. At the same time, other evidence suggests that juries may have been more reluctant to convict women because women were perceived to be less of a threat to society. The legal principle of the feme covert, which made women responsible for crimes committed in the presence of their husbands (they were presumed to be following their husbands’ commands) was not often applied. A married man was legally responsible for any debts his wife ran up with or without his knowledge.

The pattern of punishments for convicted women was significantly different from that of men, though when sentences for the same offence are compared, the differences are not so significant.

Before 1691, women convicted of the theft of goods worth more than 10 shillings could not receive the benefit of clergy unlike men and were sentenced to death. In practice, they were often acquitted, convicted on a reduced charge, or pardoned. Juries are usually reluctant to convict when they feel the punishment does not fit the crime.

Women convicted of treason or petty treason were sentenced to death by being burned at the stake until 1790 while men convicted of the same offences were hanged, drawn and quartered. It seems the authorities did not want to expose women to this humiliating fate of being undressed in public when they were being executed. Women sentenced to death who successfully pleaded that they were pregnant had their punishments respited and often remitted entirely. From 1848, reprieves granted to pregnant women were always permanent.

Following the suspension of transportation to America in 1776, a statute authorised judges to sentence male offenders otherwise liable to transportation to hard labour improving the navigation of the Thames (they were incarcerated on the hulks), while women, and those men unfit for working on the river, were to be imprisoned and put to hard labour. Only men could be sentenced to military or naval duty, and fewer women were selected for transportation when transportation to Australia began in 1787. The public whipping of women was abolished in 1817 (having been in decline since the 1770s), while the public flogging of men continued into the 1830s (and was not abolished until 1862).

The perception of women as passive and weak and the types of misdemeanours most frequently committed by them made them seem far less of a threat to society than the crimes committed by men. However, when a woman transgressed into the world of ‘male crime’, her punishment was likely to be more severe because as a woman she had not only committed a crime against society she had transgressed the ideal of womanhood and stepped outside her expected gender role.

Jail, Dublin, Hall, Old, History, Prison, Kilmainham

Source: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Gender.jsp

Julia Herdman writes historical fiction.

Sinclair is available of Amazon. Click here to get your copy.

Sinclair is set in the London Borough of Southward, the Yorkshire town of Beverley and in Paris and Edinburgh in the late 1780s. Strong female leads include the widow Charlotte Leadam and the farmer’s daughter Lucy Leadam. Sinclair is a story of love, loss and redemption. Prodigal son James Sinclair is transformed by his experience of being shipwrecked on the way to India to make his fortune. Obstacles to love and happiness include ambition, conflict with a God, temptation and betrayal. Remorse brings restitution and recovery. Sinclair is an extraordinary book. It will immerse you in the world of 18th century London where the rich and the poor are treated with kindness and compassion by this passionate Scottish doctor and his widowed landlady, the owner of the apothecary shop in Tooley Street.  Sinclair is filled with twists and tragedies, but it will leave you feeling good.

Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me

London’s Mad House

Women’s Boxing – A Georgian Novelty Act

The Princess Who Married The Hunchback Prince

The Princess Who Married The Hunchback Prince

Anne, The Princess Royal, married the hunchback William of Orange in 1734.

Princess Anne, or the Princess Royal as she was known, was the eldest daughter of George II. The title Princess Royal is a substantive title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter. There have been seven Princesses Royals. The daughter of Queen Elizabeth II is currently holds the title. The title Princess Royal came into existence when Queen Henrietta Maria (1609–1669), daughter of Henry IV, King of France, and wife of King Charles I (1600–1649), wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled “Madame Royale”. Thus Princess Mary (born 1631), the daughter of Henrietta Maria and Charles, became the first Princess Royal in 1642. Anne,the daughter of George II was the second Princess Royal.

Dysfunctional Family

Anne was born into what we would call an extremely dysfunctional family in May 1709. George II was the only son of the German prince George Louis, elector of Hanover (King George I of Great Britain from 1714 to 1727), and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. George, I had divorced and locked Sophia Dorothea in a castle in Celle for her adultery with a Swedish cavalry officer and taken their children, which include the boy who would become George II away from her. George II had, of course, never forgiven his father for his cruel treatment of his mother.

George II’s daughter Anne was a remarkable woman in many ways. She was criticised and praised in equal measure by contemporary chroniclers. Some said she was arrogant others that she was accomplished.

Early Life

Although Anne was an English princess, she was born at Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover. Her mother was Caroline of Ansbach. According to a recent biography of Caroline, The First Iron Lady: A Life of Caroline of Ansbach By Matthew Dennison, she was the real power behind George II. When she arrived in England in 1714, she became the first Princess of Wales since Prince Henry married Catherine of Aragon in 1509. She was blonde, buxom and above all, intelligent. Anne was one of the couple’s four children.

Her parents’ relationship with King George I was a troubled one. Her mother, Caroline of Ansbach, had been brought up in the Prussian Court where she had been treated as a surrogate daughter to the Prussian King and had been well educated.

When she married, she joined the Hanoverian Court, which was by comparison boorish. How much that experience influenced her opposition to George I in England we do not know, but the two did not get on. One wonders if Caroline suspected her father-in-law of having her mother-in-law’s lover killed? There were always rumours surrounding the disappearance of her Swedish lover.

Political differences between George I and his son the Prince of Wales led to factions in the court. The family dispute came to a head following the birth of George and Caroline’s second son, Prince George William in 1717. At the baby’s christening, the Prince of Wales publicly insulted the Duke of Newcastle one of his father’s allies. This so infuriated George I he banished his son and daughter-in-law from St James’s Palace, but he kept their children, including Anne under his guardianship at Leicester House.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were sent packing without their children. George, I kept them separated until 1720 when Anne’s brothers were returned to the care of her parents, but the girls remained the wards of the King.

Smallpox and Variolation

In that year, Anne’s body was ravaged by smallpox; she was 11 years old. The disease killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans a year during the closing years of the 18th century.

Smallpox had no respect for wealth or rank, anyone could catch it. Her own father had suffered from the disease in the first year of his marriage. Her personal near-death experience and the experience and her father led the family to support the introduction of variolation (an early type of immunisation against smallpox), which had been witnessed by Lady Mary Wortley Montague and Charles Maitland in Constantinople.

Variolation or inoculation was the method first used to immunise an individual against smallpox (Variola) with material taken from a patient or a recently variolated individual in the hope that a mild, but the protective infection would result. The procedure was most commonly carried out by inserting/rubbing powdered smallpox scabs or fluid from pustules into superficial scratches made in the skin. The patient would develop pustules identical to those caused by naturally occurring smallpox, usually producing a less severe disease than naturally acquired smallpox. Eventually, after about two to four weeks, these symptoms would subside, indicating successful recovery and immunity.

To test the process, Caroline ordered six prisoners who had been condemned to death to take part in the trial. They were offered the chance to undergo variolation instead of execution. They all agreed, and they all survived, as did the six orphan children who were also part of the test. (There were no medical ethics committees then). The tests convinced Caroline of variolation’s safety, and the Queen had her two younger daughters, Amelia and Caroline, inoculated. Royal patronage of the process was a boon to the doctors who were prescribing the process, and variolation began to spread amongst the upper classes.

On 22 June 1727, George I died making Anne’s father king. The following year, her elder brother, Frederick, who had been educated in Germany, was brought to England to join the court. Father and son had not seen one other in 14 years, and when they did, the fireworks began. Their relationship was even more tempestuous than the one between George I and George II especially after 1733 when Frederick purchased Carlton House and set up what George II considered to be a rival court.

Marriage

As a daughter of the future British King Anne’s marriage was always going to be a dynastic one. But, as a princess requiring a protestant marriage, her options were limited, most of the continent was ruled by Catholic princes. The government hit on the idea of a union with the rather lowly William, Prince of Orange-Nassau to sure up their anti-French alliance.

George II was not enamoured with the proposal, and Anne was concerned herself. The Dutch Prince William had a well-known physical deformity. Anne wanted to know more about his deformity before she agreed to see him, so she dispatched Lord Hervey, a close confidant, to report on its extent. Hervey said that William was no Adonis. William suffered from a pronounced curvature of the spine, which was probably the result of sclerosis, the same condition suffered by the English King Richard III. or Kyphosis the hunchback disease.

William’s Deformity

A normal thoracic spine extends from the 1st to the 12th vertebra and should have a slight kyphotic angle, ranging from 20° to 45°. When the “roundness” of the upper spine increases past 45° it is called kyphosis or “hyperkyphosis”. Scheuermann’s kyphosis is the most classic form of hyperkyphosis and is the result of wedged vertebrae that develop during adolescence. The cause is not currently known and the condition appears to be multifactorial and is seen more frequently in males than females. The condition must have made life very hard for William who apart from the problem with his spine was considered an attractive, educated, and accomplished Prince.

Having taken Hervey’s report into consideration and the inferiority of William’s territory, Anne decided she would take him. She was 25 years old, and it seems she did not want to end up an old maid surrounded by her warring relatives. When they married in 1734, her mother and sisters wept through the ceremony, and Lord Hervey described the marriage as more sacrifice than celebration.

As an outsider and British, Anne was not popular in the Netherlands. Her life must have been a lonely one because she did not get along with her mother-in-law, and her husband was frequently on campaign. France was an ever-present threat to William’s protestant country and his power base dependent on his ability to protect the states of the Dutch Republic from its enemies.

In these lonely years, Anne concentrated her efforts on literature and playing the harpsichord; she was an accomplished, artist, musician, and lifelong friend of her music teacher Handel.

Producing the required heir was problematic too. In 1736, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter and another in 1739. Her first live birth came in 1743 with the arrival of Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau who was followed by another daughter, Princess Anna two years later. Her only son arrived in 1748 when she was 39 years old.

Regent

Anne became a widow in 1751 at the age of 40 and was appointed as Regent for her 3-year-old son, Prince William V. She was given all prerogatives usually given a hereditary Stadtholder of the Netherlands, except for the military duties of the office, which were entrusted to Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg. To say that she took to the role like a duck to water would not be an exaggeration. Finally free to exercise some power of the own, in true Hanoverian style, Anne used her wit and her determination to secure her personal power base and with it the dominance of her family and the Orange dynasty.

As Regent she was hard-working, but she remained unpopular. The commercial rivalry between the Dutch and the British East India Companies was part of the cause, her Dutch subjects were never entirely sure she was on their side because she pursued a foreign policy, that favoured the British-German alliance over alliance with the French. Another reason was the constitution of the United Provinces. But what made her most unpopular was that she seized the opportunity to centralise power in the office of the hereditary Stadtholder over the traditional rights of the Dutch states, particularly the State of Haarlem.

Ultimately, as a woman, she was reliant on the men around her, and it is fair to say that her husband and her son were fighting a losing battle against the tide of history at the end of the 18th century. Even Anne, with all her skills, could not realise the ambitions of the House of Orange on her own. She ruled the Netherlands for eight years. She died of dropsy (an accumulation of fluid in the body that leads to heart failure) in 1759. Her son was twelve and still too young to take the reins of power.

Anne was replaced as Regent by her mother-in-law, Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel and when she died in 1765, Anne’s daughter, Carolina, was made Regent until her younger brother William V turned 18 in 1766.

Legacy

Anne was a remarkable woman in many ways. Her beauty was shredded by smallpox, but she took on the world and won. (I am sure she took the opportunity to show herself in the best light in her self-portrait above.) She accepted and made a success of her marriage, which on the face of it held little prospect for personal happiness. She was an intelligent if haughty woman who endured years of loneliness, the pain of giving birth to two stillborn children and then she was widowed. Anne exercised the role of Stadholder (chief executive of the Dutch Republic) as effectively as any man and the centralisation of power she created laid the foundations of the Dutch state and its royal family. Her grandson, William I became the first king of the Netherlands in 1815.

Picture: Self Portrait

Sources:

George II: King and Elector By Andrew C. Thompson, 2011, Yale University Press

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne,_Princess_Royal_and_Princess_of_Orange

Julia Herdman writes historical fiction that puts women to the fore. Her latest book Sinclair, Tales of Tooley Street Vol. 1. is  Available on Amazon – Paperback £10.99 and on Kindle.

Sinclair is available of Amazon. Click here to get your copy.

Sinclair is set in the London Borough of Southward, the Yorkshire town of Beverley and in Paris and Edinburgh in the late 1780s. Strong female leads include the widow Charlotte Leadam and the farmer’s daughter Lucy Leadam. Sinclair is a story of love, loss and redemption. Prodigal son James Sinclair is transformed by his experience of being shipwrecked on the way to India to make his fortune. Obstacles to love and happiness include ambition, conflict with a God, temptation and betrayal. Remorse brings restitution and recovery. Sinclair is an extraordinary book. It will immerse you in the world of 18th century London where the rich and the poor are treated with kindness and compassion by this passionate Scottish doctor and his widowed landlady, the owner of the apothecary shop in Tooley Street.  Sinclair is filled with twists and tragedies, but it will leave you feeling good.

Also available on:

Amazon Australia

Amazon Canada

Amazon New Zealand

Amazon South Africa

Amazon USA

 

 

Princess Sophia Dorothea the Uncrowned Queen of Britain

A Labour in Vain – The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte Augusta

History of Women in Art: The Woman Who Painted Marie-Antoinette

History of Women in Art: The Woman Who Painted Marie-Antoinette

Between 1780 and 1810, many French women painters reached impressive heights of artistic achievement and professional success. They achieved this despite a cap on the number of women admitted to France’s prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, and restrictions that barred women from the life drawing classes. At the end of the eighteenth century, women ranked among the most sought-after artists in Europe.

One such was Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. Le Brun was born in Paris on 16 April 1755, the daughter of a portraitist and fan painter and a hairdresser. Her early childhood was spent in the country where she attended a residential convent school until she was eleven. When she returned home, her father recognised his daughter’s natural skills and ability to paint and gave her access to his studio to develop her skills. Unfortunately, her father died a couple of years later, but luckily her mother married Jacques Le Sèvre, a highly successful jeweller a year later and the family moved to the Rue Saint-Honoré, close to the Palais Royal where Elisabeth continued to paint. By the time she was in her early teens, Elisabeth was painting portraits professionally although ran into trouble with the Paris artists’ guild for practising without a license.

Elisabeth married Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Le Brun, a painter and art dealer in 1776 and the pair began what was to become a very successful business and family life. Four years later Elisabeth gave birth to her first and only child, a daughter, Julie and a year after that she set off to tour Flanders and the Netherlands with her husband to paint members of the Dutch aristocracy. While Elisabeth was there, she was inspired by the paintings he saw in the homes and galleries she visited and decided to adopt some of their techniques. In 1787, she caused a minor public scandal with a self-portrait, that showed her smiling which was at the time considered outrageous as no Greek statue ever showed their teeth!

Her growing fame won her an invitation to the Palace of Versailles and the patronage of Marie Antoinette. Le Brun painted the queen and her children more than thirty times for six years. Le Brun supported the queen’s campaign to present herself as a doting mother, and in return, the queen supported Le Bruns’ application to France’s most prestigious academy, the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. She was admitted in 1783 on the same day has another female artist, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard giving the press an opportunity to cast the two women as rivals, pitting Le Brun’s “feminine” style of loose brushstrokes, high-toned colour, and flattering renderings of her sitters against the more “masculine” characteristics of crisp, muted tones, and truth to nature of Labille-Guard’s work. Although many critics applauded the women’s prominence, others lambasted them for immodesty and pamphleteers frequently depicted them naked.

Royal patronage was fine until the outbreak of the revolution in 1789 when association with the royal family was tantamount to a death warrant so Le Brun, who was now separated from her husband, took her daughter and fled to Italy where she lived and worked from 1789 to 1792. From Italy, she moved to Austria where she worked for three years then to  Russia where she painted the portraits of aristocrats until 1801.

After a sustained campaign by her ex-husband and other family members to have her name removed from the list of counter-revolutionary émigrés, Le Brun was finally able to return to France during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I in 1804. In spite of being no longer labelled as émigrée, her relationship with the new regime was never totally harmonious, as might be expected given that she was a staunch royalist and the former portraitist of Marie Antoinette.

Much in demand by the élite of Europe, she visited England at the beginning of the 19th century and painted the portrait of several British notables, including Lord Byron. In 1807 she travelled to Switzerland and was made an honorary member of the Société pour l’Avancement des Beaux-Arts of Geneva.

She published her memoirs in 1835 and 1837, which provide an interesting view of the training of artists at the end of the period dominated by royal academies. Still very active with her painting in her fifties, she purchased a house in Louveciennes, Île-de-France, and lived there until the house was seized by the Prussian Army during the war in 1814. She stayed in Paris until her death on 30 March 1842 when her body was taken back to Louveciennes and buried in the Cimetière de Louveciennes near her old home. Her tombstone epitaph states “Ici, enfin, je repose…” (Here, at last, I rest…).

Sources: Wikipedia,

Katharine Baetjer, Department of European Paintings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Illustrations: Self portrait with Julie. Marie-Antoinette with her children.

Julia Herdman writes historical fiction that puts women to the fore. Her latest book Sinclair, Tales of Tooley Street Vol. 1. is  Available on Amazon – Paperback £10.99 Kindle £2.29  Also available on:

Amazon Australia

Amazon Canada

Amazon New Zealand

Amazon South Africa

Amazon USA

Maria Cosway the Artist who Captured the Heart of Thomas Jefferson

Against the Grain – 18th Century British Art

Mary Moser – Founding Member of London’s Royal Academy