Elizabeth Barrett Browning
On this day in 1806, English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born. During her lifetime, Browning was considered to be one of the most popular Victorian poets of the era.
Browning was the eldest of twelve children born to Edward Barrett Moulton-Barrett and Mary Graham Clark. The family had acquired their wealth as sugar plantation owners in Jamaica, but her father chose to raise his family in England. Educated at home, Browning began writing poetry at a very early age. At the age of 15, she became ill and would suffer from intense spinal pain for the rest of her life.
A prolific writer, Browning found much success amongst literary circles. In 1845, she met poet Robert Browning and the pair began a courtship in secret. They exchanged nearly 600 letters before eloping in 1846 against her family’s wishes.
Browning’s relationship with her husband greatly influenced her writing. In 1850, she published Sonnets from the Portuguese, a collection of 44 love sonnets that to this day, remains her most acclaimed and popular work.
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Image: Library of Congress
Source: Geni.com
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