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Full Description
The chance discovery of letters from Hester Thrale (1741-1821) to her daughter Sophia provides an opportunity to rethink our understanding of one of the key people in the life of the dictionary-maker and moralist Dr Samuel Johnson. Much-maligned after the death of her first husband for her decision to marry Gabriel Piozzi, an Italian musician and Catholic, Hester has often been portrayed as cold-hearted and lacking in the essentials of motherhood. These letters shed new light on her relations with her four surviving daughters (she gave birth to 12 children in 14 years). They also reveal her desire for recognition as a scholar and poet, and her keen awareness of her shortcomings. They provide a fascinating portrait of a complex woman, determining her independence and that of her daughters, in spite of family tragedy and vicious criticism in the press.
Contents
Foreword 6
What Hester Did Next 8
'Verses for Sophia Thrale's Album' by her Mother, 20
Hester Lynch Piozzi
Letters to Sophia Thrale Hoare from Hester Lynch Piozzi 23
Souvenirs de l'Amitié: Miniature Portraits 130
by Sophia Thrale Hoare
Letters to Sophia Thrale Hoare from Her Friends:
Samuel Johnson 157
Arthur Murphy 159
Maria Siddons 162
Sarah M. Siddons 165
Sarah Siddons 167
Lady Eleanor Butler 168
Lady Eleanor Butler 170
Appendix: Letter from Hester Lynch Piozzi to 174
Hester Maria 'Queeney' Thrale
Notes on the Letters and Illustrations 180
Acknowledgements 182
Sources 184
Index 188
