Elinor Sweetman (c. 1860/1861 – 1922) was a
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
Irish poet and author who worked with both her sisters.
Early life
Elinor Mary Sweetman was born in
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
to Michael James Sweetman (1829-1864), of Lamberton Park,
Queen's County,
JP,
High Sheriff of Queen's County
The High Sheriff of Queen's County was the British Crown's judicial representative in Queen's County, Ireland (now County Laois), Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the of ...
in 1852, and (Mary) Margaret, only child and heir of Michael Powell, of
Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin. She had two brothers and three sisters. The Sweetman family were landed gentry of Longtown,
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
, and per family tradition were "long settled in Dublin" and "previously resident near Callan and Newtown, County Kilkenny", tracing their line back to the mid-1500s.
After her father's death, when she was a small child, the remaining family moved to
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in 1873 and she spent her summers in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Her sisters,
Agnes and
Mary Elizabeth were also writers. With her sisters she began two family magazines: the ‘Ivy Home Magazine’ and ‘Ivy Home Library’.Her poetry was used in several of her sisters' novels.
She remained unmarried and was one of her mother's heirs after her death in 1912.
Sweetman was a poet and writer published in magazines and periodicals as well as in collections of poetry and her own folios. Her work was often illustrated by well known artists of the day including
Arthur Wallis Mills
Arthur Wallis Mills (often abbreviated A. Wallis Mills, as well as A. W. Mills) (1878–1940) was a British artist. As well as traditional art forms, Mills also produced artwork and occasional cartoons for ''Punch Magazine'', ''The Strand Magaz ...
and
Elizabeth Gulland
Elizabeth Gulland (1857 – 6 November 1934) was a Scottish-born printmaker and painter.
Background
Elizabeth Gulland was born in 1857 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She attended Edinburgh Ladies’ College and Edinburgh Atelier, before moving to the ...
. Though she has largely been ignored as a writer she was critically celebrated at the time and is a clear example of the poetry of women at the time discussing religion and romance.
Selected works
* Carmina Mariana; an English anthology in verse in honour of or in relation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Edited by Shipley, Orby, 1832-1916, ed; Publication date 1894; Publisher London, New York : Burns and Oates
* Footsteps of the Gods and other poema (1893)
* Pastorals and other poems (1899)
* The wild orchard (1911)
* Psalms, verse (1911)
* The Oxford Book Of Victorian Verse (1912)
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Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetman, Elinor
1860s births
1922 deaths
Irish women novelists
Date of birth unknown