women’s bodies and books: portraits of victorian women poets · portraits of victorian women...

Women’sBodiesandBooks:PortraitsofVictorianWomenPoets

LindaK.HughesAddieLevyProfessorofLiterature

TexasChris5anUniversity

2017MarkSamuelsLasnerCollecDonExhibiDonandSymposium

UniversityofDelawareMarch18,2017

NellGwynn(1650-1687),Na5onalPortraitGallery,painted1680

Rev.GeorgeGilfillanonwomenpoets,1847

“ onallques5onsaffec5ngproprie5es,decorums,whatwemaycalltheethicsofsen5mentalism…,theirverdictmaybeconsideredoracular,andwithoutappeal.Butwedarenotsaythatweconsiderthemen5tledtospeakwithequalauthorityonthosehigheranddeeperques5onswherenotins5nctnorheart,butsevereandtriedintellectisrequiredtoreturntheresponses….Amaker[Hemans]isnot.

”

FeliciaHemans(1793-1835),1875edi5onofPoems

FeliciaHemans,SongsoftheAffec4ons,1828

MathildeBlindphotograph,1870

MathildeBlind(1841-1896),SelectedPoems,ed.ArthurSymons,1897

ElizabethBarre`Barre`,Poems5tlepage,1844

1844Dedica5onfollowingthe5tlepage

ElizabethBarre`Browning(1806-1861),Poems,1850,5tlepage

ElizabethBarre`Browning,AuroraLeigh,3rded.,18575tlepage

FieldTalfourd,PortraitofElizabethBarre`Browning,Chalk,1859

ElizabethBarre`BrowningandhersonPen,1860

TitlePageandFron5spiece,AuroraLeigh,4thed.,1859

ElizabethBarre`Browningdaguerrotype,1858,MSLCollec5on

ElizabethBarre`Browningdaguerrotype,1858,MSLCollec5on

TitlePageandFron5spiece,AuroraLeigh,4thed.,1859

TitlePageandFron5spiece,AuroraLeigh,4thed.,1859

Chris5naRossea(1818-1894)GoblinMarket,1862;artbyDGRossea

Chris5naRossea,NewPoems(1896),withfron5spiecebyD.G.Rossea

Chris5naRossea,excerptfrom“Song”(1862)

Chris5naRossea’sfron5spieceand5tlepage,RobertsBrothers(US,1888)

D.G.RosseaportraitofChris5naRossea,pencilandchalk,1866

Chris5naRossea’sfron5spieceand5tlepage,RobertsBrothers(US,1888)

DoubleFron5spiece,RobertsBrothersGoblinMarket,1866

TitlePage,RobertsBrothersGoblinMarket,1866

Chris5naRossea’sAuthorNote,RobertsBrothersedi5on,1866

Chris5naRossea’sAuthorNote,1888

Chris5naRossea’sfron5spieceand5tlepage,RobertsBrothers(US,1888)

PortraitCredit,RobertsBrothers,1888

Chris5naRossea’sfron5spieceand5tlepage,RobertsBrothers(US,1888)

A.MaryF.Robinson(1857-1944),AHandfulofHoneysuckle,1878

A.MaryF.Robinson,Photographc.1880

A.MaryF.Robinson,fron5spieceand5tlepage,Songs,Balladsetc.(1888)

A.MaryF.Robinson(MmeJamesDarmesteter),Lyrics(1891)

A.MaryF.RobinsonportraitbyLisaS5llmanpreceding5tlepage,1902

Robinson(MmeDuclaux),facsimilesignaturesand5tlepage,1902

A.MaryF.RobinsonportraitbyLisaS5llmanpreceding5tlepage,1902

GrahamR.Tomson(1860-1911),TheBird-Bride(1889),5tlepage

GrahamR.Tomson,ASummerNight(1891),cover

GrahamR.Tomson,fron5spieceand5tlepage,1891

GrahamR.Tomsonfron5spiece,1891;pain5ngbyArthurTomson

“ASummerNight,”1891,stanzaone

Thelindenleavesarewet, Thegas-lightsflare— Deepyellowjewelsset Induskyair, Indimairsubtlysweet Withvanishedrain.

GrahamR.Tomsonfron5spiece,1891;pain5ngbyArthurTomson

ASummerNight,5tlepage,1895

PoemsofRosamundMarrioEWatson,1912,fron5spieceand5tlepage

WilliamRothenstein,AliceMeynell(1897),MarkSamuelsLasnerCollec5on

AliceMeynell,“TheShepherdess,”1896,lastofthreestanzas

Sheholdsherli`lethoughtsinsight, Thoughgaytheyrunandleap. Sheissocircumspectandright; Shehashersoultokeep. Shewalks—theladyofmydelight— Ashepherdessofsheep.

AliceMeynell,LaterPoems,1902

AliceMeynell,TheShepherdessandOtherVerses(1913);portraitbyAdrianStokes

Publishingnote,TheShepherdessandOtherPoems

AliceMeynell,CollectedPoems,1913,withportraitbyJohnSingerSargent

Women’sBodiesandBooks:Portraitsof

VictorianWomenPoetsBy:

LindaK.HughesAddieLevyProfessorofLiterature

TexasChris5anUniversity

2017MarkSamuelsLasnerCollecDonExhibiDonandSymposium

UniversityofDelaware

March18,2017

E.Nesbit(1858-1924),LaysandLegends,1886,5tlepage

E.Nesbit,LaysandLegends,1892,5tlepageandfron5spieceportrait

E.Nesbit,concludingstanza,“TheWoman’sWorld,”1892

Iamonlyyou! Iamyours—partofyou—yourwife! AndIhavenootherlife. Icannotthink,cannotdo, Icannotbreathe,cannotsee; Thereis“us,”butthereisnot“me”— Andworst,atyourkiss,Igrow Contentedso.

D.G.Rossea,RobertsBrothersPoems1870,5tlepage

D.G.Rosseafron5spieceand5tlepage,RobertsBrothers,1882