Frances "Fanny" Erskine Inglis, later the Marquesa of Calderテウn de la Barca and best known as Fanny Calderテウn de la Barca, (
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland, 1804 –
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, Spain, 1882), was a 19th-century travel writer best known for her 1843 memoir, '' Life in Mexico'', which is regarded by historians as one of the most influential
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
n travel narratives of the 19th century.
The Inglis family immigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 1835. Fanny married a
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. In 1843, the couple returned to the U.S. and Calderテウn de la Barca published ''Life in Mexico.'' In 1852, the couple moved to
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
where テ]gel had been appointed as a
Minister of State
Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
by the royal government of Spain. In 1856, Fanny Calderテウn de la Barca's book ''The Attachテゥ in Madrid'', was published in the United States. The book never achieved the popularity of ''Life in Mexico''.
After her husband died in 1861, Calderテウn de la Barca served as the governess of Infanta Isabel, the daughter of
Isabella II
Isabella II (, Marテュa Isabel Luisa de Borbテウn y Borbテウn-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 窶 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain.
Isabella wa ...
of Spain. In 1877, she was awarded the title, Marquesa de Calderテウn de la Barca. She died in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
on 6 February 1882 at the age of 77.
Early life
Inglis was born on 23 December 1804 in
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, the fifth of ten children of her
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
parents, members of the Scottish gentry. Her father, William Inglis (pronounced Ingalls), was a landowner and a distinguished lawyer who was a member of the Writer to the Signet, a branch of the legal profession. Her mother, Jane Stein, came from the wealthy Stein family, known as owners of a prominent distillery. Inglis was well-educated and as a young woman traveled to Italy. Edited by Howard T. Fisher and Marian Hall Fisher.
In the 1820s William Inglis' financial situation deteriorated and in 1828, all his property was sequestered by his creditors. The family moved to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and settled near
Le Havre
Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
. Ingles died on 28 June 1830.
His widow, Jane, three daughters, including Fanny, and several grandchildren moved to
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
in autumn 1831. The family established a school there which was popular with the upper classes. In 1833, however, a pamphlet, allegedly written by Fanny and a male admirer, created a scandal by its caricatures of prominent citizens of the city. In 1835 or thereabouts, with the school declining in favor, the family relocated to
New Brighton, Staten Island
New Brighton is a neighborhood located on the North Shore, Staten Island, North Shore of Staten Island in New York City. The neighborhood comprises an older industrial and residential harbor front area along the Kill Van Kull west of St. George, ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
and established another school. Staten Island was a popular summer destination for people escaping the heat of the cities and there Inglis met Spanish diplomat テ]gel Calderテウn de la Barca y Belgrano, fifteen years older than her. The couple married on 24 September 1838. The new Madame Calderテウn de la Barca gave her age as 28 although she was 33.
In the United States, Inglis was acquainted with many of the literary figures of the day. She met her future husband in 1836 through the mutual acquaintance of historian, William Hickling Prescott, who befriended テ]gel due to his interest in obtaining archival materials from Spain. While still single, Inglis wrote two novels: ''Gertrude--A Tale of the 16th Century'' (1830) and ''The Affianced One'' (1832). The second novel was about Italy and praised for its knowledge of the subject. Both books, however, were criticized for their "gratuitous amplifications."
Mexico
In 1839, テ]gel was appointed by the Queen
Isabella II
Isabella II (, Marテュa Isabel Luisa de Borbテウn y Borbテウn-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 窶 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain.
Isabella wa ...
to be the first Spanish Minister (Ambassador) to Mexico, which had gained its independence from Spain in 1821. The Calderテウn de la Barca's departed New York by ship for Mexico on 27 October 1839 and arrived, after a long and trying passage, in
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
on 26 December. The couple resided in Mexico City until February 1842 when they returned to the United States.
Mexico at the time was in economic and political chaos, still recovering from its long
war of independence
Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
, a Spanish invasion in 1829, and the "
Pastry War
The Pastry War (; ), also known as the first French intervention in Mexico or the first Franco-Mexican war (1838窶1839), began in November 1838 with the naval blockade of some Centralist Republic of Mexico, Mexican ports and the capture of the ...
" against France in 1838. As the wife of the Spanish Minister, Madam Calderテウn de la Barca traveled extensively throughout the country and met its politicians and prominent citizens. She would become the best-known, and possibly the first, foreign woman to write about Mexico in the 19th century. The Calderテウn de la Barca's returned to the U.S. in 1842.
The United States
While Fanny was living in Mexico, her family became embroiled in another scandal. Her widowed brother-in-law ran away with a 15-year-old girl who was a student at the Inglis school on Staten Island and the heiress to a large fortune. (The wayward couple apparently had a happy marriage.) In the aftermath of the scandal the family moved again to Boston and opened another school. In Boston, Fanny wrote her book ''Life in Mexico, During a Residence Of Two Years In That Country''. She traveled with her husband in 1842窶1843 to Scotland and Spain. In 1843, テ]gel was appointed Minister of Spain to the U.S. and the couple resided in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
until 1852.
''Life in Mexico''
''Life in Mexico'' was published in 1842 and 1843 in Boston and London. Her friend, the historian William H. Prescott, contributed an introduction. The book is a travel narrative which contains 54 letters Fanny Calderテウn de la Barca wrote during her two years in Mexico. It describes the politics, people, and landscape of Mexico through the eyes of a Spanish diplomat's wife, thus providing a unique lens into the culture. Although her opinions about Mexican culture were perceptive, they were often biased, typical of an upper-class European of her day.
Reviews of ''Life in Mexico'' in the English--speaking world were mostly favorable. In Mexico, the Mexican government newspaper began publishing the book in serial form, but ceased publication after a few issues because of criticism. One critic characterized the book as "unjust, passionate, virulent diatribes" by Calderテウn de la Barca despite the "hospitality" she and her husband received in Mexico. ''Life in Mexico'' was not translated in full into
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
until 1920.
Prescott's ''Conquest of Mexico'' was published in the same year as ''Life in Mexico''. The two books became significant to the United States' war effort during the
Mexican窶鄭merican War
The Mexican窶鄭merican War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-Mテゥxico, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
of 1846-48. The United States government consulted with Calderテウn de la Barca and Prescott to gain intelligence which assisted in the United States' invasion of Mexico. Much of the information that modern historians have about everyday Mexican life in this period comes from Calderテウn de la Barca's book.
Conversion to Catholicism
Calderテウn de la Barca was born into a family which belonged to the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
. Initially hostile to the
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
she encountered in Mexico, she joined the Catholic church on 27 May 1847 in the Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown (now part of Washington, D.C.).
Her enthusiasm for her new religion is reflected in her translation into English of the ''History of the Life and Institutes of
Ignatius Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born テ催アigo Lテウpez de Oテアaz y Loyola; 窶 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the So ...
'' which was published in 1855.
Spain
The Calderテウn de la Barca's departed the U.S. for Spain on 13 August 1853 and arrived on 17 September. テ]gel was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, but Spain was in political chaos. The government of which he was a part fell on 17 July 1854. To avoid arrest, the Calderテウns fled Spain for Paris and lived nearby for two years. Returning to Spain, テ]gel became a Senator in the Spanish parliament, the
Cortes
Cortes, Cortテゥs, Cortテェs, Corts, or Cortティs may refer to:
People
* Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Hernテ。n Cortテゥs (1485窶1547), a Spanish conquistador
Places
* Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...
. He died in 1861.
Calderテウn de la Barca entered a convent briefly after her husband's death, but was asked by Queen
Isabella II
Isabella II (, Marテュa Isabel Luisa de Borbテウn y Borbテウn-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 窶 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain.
Isabella wa ...
to serve as the governess of her nine-year-old daughter, Infanta Isabel. She moved into the royal palace and served as governess until Infanta Isabel married in 1868. Calderテウn de la Barca made a visit to the United States after the wedding, thereby missing the outbreak of another revolution which deposed Isabella II. The royal family fled to France. Calderテウn de la Barca rejoined them by January 1870 and accompanied the royal family on their travels around Europe. In February 1875, the Infanta Isabel was able to return to Spain and Calderテウn de la Barca also returned, becoming her
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
and again residing in the royal palace. In 1877, Calderテウn de la Barca was given the title of Marquesa de Calderテウn de la Barca.
Calderテウn de la Barca was still in apparent good health until 1882 when she caught a cold at an elegant dinner party and died on 6 February.
''The Attachテゥ in Madrid''
Published in New York in 1856 under the male pseudonym of a young German diplomat, Calderテウn de la Barca's ''The Attachテゥ in Madrid'' is, by far, her lesser known travel account. Although it was used as part of Spanish history, it has become more or less forgotten. This is partially due to its publication under a male name, which would have diminished the uniqueness of the female perspective present in ''Life in Mexico'', since many male-authored travel accounts from writers such as
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 窶 November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...
had already been written on 19th-century Spain. Because her husband was now a diplomat in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, She could not speak openly about Spanish life and had to be careful to conceal her identity.
Much like in ''Life in Mexico'', Calderテウn de la Barca describes the "charitable institutions" formerly of interest to her under the guise of the curiosity of her male persona's mother. She uses "his" family members窶 interests as justifications for descriptions that might not have otherwise been significant to a male travel writer. But simultaneously, she also utilizes this male identity to speak on topics inaccessible to females of her class, such as the San Isidro Festival, the Burial of the Sardine and bullfights. In addition, by offering the "German" outsider's perspective, she frees her narrative from the typical mid-19th-century United States discourse on Spanish decadence, instead showing her German Catholic narrator's admiration of Spain.
Although Calderテウn de la Barca she uses "anonymity" and "maleness" to justify her point of view, Calderテウn de la Barca actually reconstructs the concept by offering multiple perspectives contrary to the primary theme of "domination" in male travel writing. For instance, as if in response to claims in male narratives about the infidelity of Spanish women, she defends their honor. In effect, his "masculine voice" is only one amongst others, male and female, Spanish and foreigner, providing a balanced view that distinguishes her from authentic male travel writers.
Despite being poorly received in comparison to ''Life in Mexico'', ''The Attachテゥ in Madrid'' did experience a brief resurgence in 1898, after Calderテウn de la Barca's death, having been circulated from the United States to
Havana, Cuba
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.