The Life of Anne Damer Portrait of a Regency Artist [Hardcover]

Jonathan Gross has written the first full biography of a little known but important figure on the gothic/romantic cusp: Anne Damer, niece of Horace Walpole and talented artist in her own right. Based on archival research, letters, and journals which have never been seen before, and extensive forays into Scotland, Gross has managed to reconstruct the life and times of this fascinating woman. Scholars of the Gothic and women's artistic production will particularly find this book an essential addition to their research.This biography for the first time uncovers the hidden career and life of Anne Damer, the superb sculptor and lesbian hostess of the British Regency period. Jonathan Gross pays full and arresting attention to Damer's artistic and literary works (including her novel Belmour), her notable relationship with the historian Mary Berry, the houses she lived in, the places she visited, and her impact on the other women writers of her day. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the bluestocking world of Romantic-era Britain.Jonathan Gross has done us all a great service by tellingfor the first time in the modern era of scholarshipthe detailed story of Anne Damer's long and productive life as a feminist actress, writer, and sculptor. He reminds us how integrally she was involved in the lives of important figures of her era, from Horace Walpole to Napoleon, and shows how her trail-blazing spirit of adventure influenced and took fire from the careers of other liberated women, from the Duchess of Devonshire to Mrs. Siddons. Damer emerges from these pages as a warmhearted and loyal friend who found love in her relationship with long-time companion Mary Berry. She also remains that rare thing: an accomplished female sculptor of the 18th and 19th centuries.The first biography of Anne Damer since 1908, The Life of Anne Damer: Portrait of a Regency Artist, by Jonathan Gross, draws on previously unpublished letters to explore the life and legacy of Englaló“