Emily Augusta Patmore ( Andrews; 29 February 1824 – 5 July 1862) was a British author,

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

muse and the inspiration for the 1854–1862 narrative poem '' The Angel in the House''.

Early life and education

Emily Augusta Andrews was born on 29 February 1824, the daughter of Elizabeth Honor (née Symons) (1792–1831) and Edward Andrews (1787–1841), a

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

minister at Beresford Chapel, Walworth, London. She was one of 12 siblings, an elder brother Edward William Andrews (1812–1877), later emigrated to Australia and became a newspaper proprietor and editor, and four elder sisters included Eliza, later Orme (1816-1892), whose daughters grew up to be women's rights activists, Emily Rosaline Orme, a leading Edinburgh suffragist, and Eliza Orme, the first woman to earn a law degree in England. Her younger brother Augustus Charles Andrews became a bank clerk and his daughter Mabel Barltrop became a religious leader and prophet. Their mother died in April 1831 when Emily was still young and she took over the household duties for her father. It is thought that she learned Greek, Latin, and French under his tutelage. Her father was also a Latin, Greek and Hebrew tutor to

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, who Emily and Eliza were later credited with introducing to the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

. As a child, Emily's portrait was drawn by George Lance around 1834. Now known as ''Emily Augusta Patmore at 10 years of age'', the drawing is in the collection of the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, but not currently on display. It shows her head and shoulders, looking slightly up and smiling.

Marriage and ''The Angel in the House''

Emily Augusta Andrews met the poet and critic

Coventry Patmore Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore (23 July 1823 – 26 November 1896) was an English poet and critic, literary critic. He is best known for his book of poetry ''The Angel in the House'', a narrative poem about the Victorian era, Victorian ideal of ...

while living at her sister Eliza Orme's house following the 1841 death of their father, which had left the family destitute. Eliza had married Charles Orme, heir to a brewing fortune, and the couple's home in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

in London was a noted gathering place for the

Pre-Raphaelite movement The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

Patmore worked at the

as a librarian and mixed in literary and artistic circles including the Pre Raphaelites. Emily Augusta Andrews and Coventry Patmore married on 11 September 1847. Over the period of their marriage, Patmore wrote the four elements that eventually became the poem '' The Angel in the House''. Emily was staunchly Protestant, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, who had been Congregationlist Ministers. Patmore was far more

high church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...

in his religious leanings and it is thought that he remained a practising Anglican during Emily's lifetime out of respect for her wishes. The Patmores had six children – Coventry (b. 1848), Tennyson (b. 1850), Emily Honoria (1853–1882) Bertha (b. 1855), Gertrude (b. 1857) and Henry John (b. 1860). The couple introduced her niece, suffrage campaigner Emily Rosaline Orme (1835–1915) to her future husband

David Masson David Mather Masson (2 December 18226 October 1907), was a Scotland, Scottish academic, supporter of women's suffrage, literary critic and historian. Biography Masson was born in Aberdeen, the son of Sarah Mather and William Masson, a sto ...

via gatherings at the home of Emily's sister Eliza Orme.

Pre-Raphaelites

Emily Patmore's education, intelligence and beauty made her both a muse and a respected contributor within the Pre-Raphaelite friendship group. She was portrayed on a medallion by Thomas Woolner, and was the subject of a painting by

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...

entitled ''Mrs. Coventry Patmore'' in 1851, now in the collection of the

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities University museum, museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. John Brett's portrait of Mrs Patmore, was exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1856 and is now held at the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. She was also the inspiration for "A Face", a poem by

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

Writing career

Emily Patmore published three books under the pseudonym of Mrs Motherly. In 1859, she published ''The Servant's Behaviour Book, or, Hints on Manners and Dress for Maid Servants in Small Households,'' a conduct book for women in domestic service, written in a clear, practical manner. Her two other publications were of a more literary bent. ''Nursery Poetry'' (1859) features lively verses on household matters, while ''Nursery Tales'' (1860) is improving and moralistic in tone. She is also considered to have had a significant role in the creation of ''The Children's Garland'' (1862), her husband's anthology of poems. Portrait_of_Emily_Honoria_Patmore

Death

Emily Patmore died of tuberculosis on 5 July 1862 at home at Elm Cottage, North End,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London. She was thirty-eight years old, and left a young family of six children. She was buried at St Mary's Churchyard, Hendon, London. Her husband converted to Catholicism following her death and their daughter Emily Honoria became a nun.

Publications

* ''The Servant's Behaviour Book, or, Hints on Manners and Dress for Maid Servants in Small Households.'' (1859) * ''Nursery Poetry'' (1859) * ''Nursery Tales'' (1860)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patmore, Emily Augusta 1824 births 1862 deaths 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Muses (persons) People from Walworth Pre-Raphaelite artworks Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artists' models Tuberculosis deaths in England