Emma, Lady Hamilton

Rare card · No. 38406

Emma, Lady Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 1765 – 15 January 1815), was an English courtesan, remembered as the mistress of naval hero Lord Nelson and the muse of artist George Romney. Emma was born in the village of Ness in Cheshire, the daughter of a blacksmith. Her father died soon after her birth and she was raised by her mother and grandmother in the nearby village of Hawarden. At the age of twelve, she followed her mother to London and, after briefly working as a domestic servant, drifted into the capital's demi-monde. By the age of fifteen she was the mistress of a young aristocrat, Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, who abandoned her when she became pregnant. She and her mother were taken in by Charles Francis Greville, who set them up in a house off the Edgware Road. Emma became known as Emma Hart and her mother as Mrs Cadogan. Emma's daughter was sent to Hawarden to be raised by her great-grandmother. It was during this period that Emma sat for numerous portraits by George Romney. After...

Read on Wikipedia · Image George Romney, Public domain