Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, born on March sixth, eighteen oh six, in County Durham, was a prominent English poet of the Victorian era. The eldest of twelve children, she began writing poetry at the tender age of eleven, and her mother's collection of her early works remains one of the largest extant collections of juvenilia by any English writer. Despite her literary talents, Elizabeth faced significant health challenges from the age of fifteen, suffering from intense head and spinal pain, which plagued her throughout her life. She also developed lung issues, possibly tuberculosis, and relied on laudanum for pain relief, which likely contributed to her frail health.

In the 1840s, Elizabeth was introduced to the literary world through her distant cousin and patron, John Kenyon. Her first adult collection of poems was published in eighteen thirty-eight, and she became a prolific writer from eighteen forty-one to eighteen forty-four, producing a remarkable body of poetry, translations, and prose. A passionate abolitionist, her work played a significant role in influencing reforms in child labor legislation. Her volume, Poems, published in eighteen forty-four, garnered her considerable acclaim and caught the attention of fellow writer Robert Browning.

Their courtship blossomed through secret correspondence, as Elizabeth feared her father's disapproval. After their marriage, she was disinherited by her father, and in eighteen forty-six, the couple relocated to Italy, where Elizabeth would spend the remainder of her life. She passed away in Florence in eighteen sixty-one, shortly after which her husband published a collection of her later poems.

Elizabeth and Robert had a son, affectionately known as 'Pen,' who was born in eighteen forty-nine and pursued a career in painting until his eyesight began to fail. He amassed a significant collection of manuscripts and memorabilia related to his parents, but upon his death in nineteen twelve, the collection was sold at public auction. Today, the Armstrong Browning Library houses the world's largest collection of Browning memorabilia. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's literary legacy continues to influence writers, including notable American poets Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, and she is celebrated for her iconic works such as 'How Do I Love Thee?' and Aurora Leigh.