Emma, Lady Hamilton

She was born Amy Lyon on April 26, 1765, in Ness near Neston, Cheshire, England, the daughter of Henry Lyon, a blacksmith She later went by the name of Emma Hart. Fetherstonhaugh took Emma there as a mistress, but frequently ignored her in favour of drinking and hunting with his friends. Emma soon befriended the Honourable Charles Francis Greville (1749–1809). It was about this time (late June-early July 1781) that she conceived a child by Fetherstonhaugh. As a young woman, Emma's daughter saw her mother frequently, but later when Emma fell into debt, her daughter worked abroad as a companion or governess. Greville kept Emma in a small house at Edgware Row, Paddington Green, London, at this time a village on the rural outskirts of London. At Greville's request, she changed her name to "Mrs Emma Hart", dressed in modest outfits in subdued colours and eschewed a social life. He arranged for Emma's mother to live with her as housekeeper and chaperone. Greville also taught Emma to enunciate more elegantly, and after a while, started to invite some of his friends to meet her. Seeing an opportunity to make some money by taking a cut of sales, Greville sent her to sit for his friend, the painter George Romney, who was looking for a new model and muse. It was then that Emma became the subject of many of Romney's most famous portraits, and soon became London's biggest celebrity. So began Romney's lifelong obsession with her, sketching her nude and clothed in many poses that he later used to create paintings in her absence. Through the popularity of Romney's work and particularly of his striking-looking young model, Emma became well known in society circles, under the name of "Emma Hart". She was witty, intelligent, a quick learner, elegant and, as paintings of her attest, extremely beautiful. Romney was fascinated by her looks and ability to adapt to the ideals of the age. Romney and other artists painted her in many guises, foreshadowing her later "attitudes". In 1783, Greville needed to find a rich wife to replenish his finances, and found a fit in the form of eighteen-year-old heiress Henrietta Middleton. Emma would be a problem, as he disliked being known as her lover (this having become apparent to all through her fame in Romney's artworks), and his prospective wife would not accept him as a suitor if he lived openly with Emma Hart. To be rid of Emma, Greville persuaded his uncle, Sir William Hamilton, British Envoy to Naples and younger brother of his mother, to take her off his hands. Greville's marriage would prove useful to Sir William, as it relieved him of having Greville as a poor relation. To promote his plan, Greville suggested to Sir William that Emma would make a very pleasing mistress, assuring him that, once married to Henrietta Middleton, he would come and fetch Emma back. Sir William, then 55 and newly widowed, had arrived back in London for the first time in over five years. Greville did not inform Emma of his plan, but instead in 1785 suggested the trip as a prolonged holiday in Naples while he (Greville) was away in Scotland on business, not long after Emma's mother had suffered a stroke. Emma was thus sent to Naples, supposedly for six to eight months, little realising that she was going as the mistress of her host. Emma set off for Naples with her mother and Gavin Hamilton on 13 March 1786 overland in an old coach, and arrived in Naples on her 21st birthday on 26 April. File:George Romney - Lady Hamilton (as Nature).jpg|Lady Hamilton (as Nature) c.1782 File:George Romney - Lady Hamilton (as a Bacchante) 3.jpg|Emma as a Bacchante, by George Romney, 1785 File:George Romney - Lady Hamilton (as a Bacchante) 2.jpg|Emma as a Sibyl, by George Romney, c. 1785 File:George Romney - Lady Hamilton (as a Bacchante).jpg|Emma as a Bacchante, by George Romney File:George Romney - Portrait of Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton, as Miranda, c1785-1786 -Philadelphia Museum of Art.jpg|Emma as Miranda, by George Romney File:Lady Emma Hamilton, as Cassandra, by George Romney.jpg|Lady Emma Hamilton, as Cassandra, by George Romney File:George Romney - Lady Hamilton as The Magdalene.jpg|Lady Hamilton as The Magdalene, by George Romney, before 1792 File:Lady Hamilton as Titania with Puck and Changeling (Romney, 1793).jpg|Lady Hamilton as Titania with Puck and Changeling, by George Romney, 1793 File:Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun - Portrait of Lady Hamilton (1761–1815).jpg|Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante, by Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1790–1791 File:Johann Heinrich Schmidt - Emma, Lady Hamilton.jpg|Pastel by Johann Heinrich Schmidt, c. 1800, owned by Nelson ==Marriage to Sir William Hamilton==

'' by David Allan, 1775 After about six months of living in apartments in the Palazzo Sessa with her mother (separately from Sir William) and begging Greville to come and fetch her, Emma came to understand that he had cast her off. She was furious when she realised what Greville had planned for her, but eventually started to enjoy life in Naples and responded to Sir William's intense courtship just before Christmas in 1786. They fell in love, Sir William forgot about his plan to take her on as a temporary mistress, and Emma moved into his apartments, leaving her mother downstairs in the ground floor rooms. Emma was unable to attend Court yet, but Sir William took her to every other party, assembly and outing. They were married on 6 September 1791 at St Marylebone Parish Church, then a plain small building, having returned to England for the purpose and Sir William having gained the King's consent. She was twenty-six and he was sixty. Although she was obliged to use her legal name of Amy Lyon on the marriage register, the wedding gave her the title Lady Hamilton which she would use for the rest of her life. Hamilton's public career was now at its height and during their visit he was inducted into the Privy Council. Shortly after the ceremony, Romney painted his last portrait of Emma from life, The Ambassadress, after which he plunged into a deep depression and drew a series of frenzied sketches of Emma. The newly married couple returned to Naples after two days. After the marriage, Greville transferred the cost of Emma Carew's upkeep to Sir William, and suggested that he might move her to an establishment befitting the stepdaughter of an envoy. However, Sir William preferred to forget about her for a while. The marriage was not favorable to Sir William's family and relations, to the point that Sir William wrote to Thomas Graham, the husband of his niece Mary Graham (another great beauty of the Georgian Period), defending his marriage to Emma. Emma also wrote seeking approval from Graham and other family relations. ==Life in Naples and the "Attitudes"==

'' by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1790 She lived for some time in a house in Caserta rented by Sir William. Lady Hamilton became a close friend of Queen Maria Carolina, sister of Marie Antoinette and wife of Ferdinand I of Naples, and soon acquired fluency in both French and Italian. She was also a talented amateur singer. She sang one of the solo parts of Joseph Haydn's Nelson Mass and entertained guests at her home. At one point, the Royal Opera in Madrid tried to engage her for a season, in competition with their star, Angelica Catalani, but this offer was turned down. Sir William commissioned many portraits of Emma, although not for their sentimental value; he almost always sold them for a profit, usually in England. M. de Talleyrand, the youngest son of the ambassador at Naples, responded to a remark about Sir William's interest in the arts by saying "Rather, it is the arts that look out for Sir William's interests". Emma's vulgar toilette, unaristocratic mannerisms, and drinking sometimes raised the eyebrows of her refined company. During a dinner in Naples, the Duc de Bourbon remarked on the manner in which Emma drank port- noting it must have been a "habit of hers as she did not become drunk after finishing two or three bottles." . Sharing Sir William Hamilton's enthusiasm for classical antiquities and art, she developed what she called her "Attitudes"—tableaux vivants in which she portrayed sculptures and paintings before British visitors. Emma developed the attitudes, also known as mimoplastic art, by using Romney's idea of combining classical poses with modern allure as the basis for her act. Emma had her dressmaker make dresses modelled on those worn by peasant islanders in the Bay of Naples, and the loose-fitting garments she often wore when modelling for Romney. She would pair these tunics with a few large shawls or veils, draping herself in folds of cloth and posing in such a way as to evoke popular images from Greco-Roman mythology., mid-1810s With the aid of her shawls, Emma posed as various classical figures from Medea to Queen Cleopatra, and her performances charmed aristocrats, artists such as Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun, writers—including the great Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—and kings and queens alike, setting off new dance trends across Europe and starting a fashion for a draped Grecian style of dress. "Attitudes" were taken up by several other (female) artists, among them Ida Brun from Denmark, who became Emma's successor in the new art form. The famed sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen admired her art. ==Meeting with Nelson==

As wife of the British Envoy, Emma welcomed Nelson (who had been married to Fanny Nisbet for about six years at that point) after his arrival in Naples on 10 September 1793, When he set sail for Sardinia on 15 September after only five days in Naples, it was clear that he had already fallen a little in love. She acted as a go-between, conveying messages from the queen to Nelson and from Nelson to the queen. ==Life in London and at Merton==

Nelson's recall to Britain shortly afterwards coincided with the government finally granting Hamilton's request for relief from his post in Naples. Emma must have become pregnant around April 1800. Emma continued to display her Attitudes to audiences, and at this point of her life grew obese and her drinking intensified. In April 13, Joseph Farington wrote in his diary; After the Treaty of Amiens on 25 March 1802, Nelson was released from active service, but wanted to keep his new-found position in society by maintaining an aura of wealth, and Emma worked hard to live up to this dream. Nelson's father became seriously ill in April, but Nelson did not visit him in Norfolk, staying home to celebrate Emma's 37th birthday on the very day Edmund died; the son did not attend his father's funeral. Nelson later wrote a letter explaining that the child was an orphan "left to his care and protection" in Naples. the same day as Nelson's early morning departure to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, leaving Emma pregnant with their second child (although neither knew it at this time). After a brief visit to England in August 1805, Nelson once again had to return to service. Emma received letters from him on 1, 7 and 13 October. On the ship, he wrote a note intended as a codicil to his will requesting that, in return for his legacy to King and Country that they should give Emma "ample provision to maintain her rank in life", and that his "adopted daughter, Horatia Nelson Thompson...use in future the name of Nelson only". Nelson's death On 21 October 1805, Nelson's fleet defeated a joint Franco-Spanish naval force at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson was seriously wounded during the battle and died three hours later. When the news of his death arrived in London, a messenger was sent to Merton Place to bring the news to Lady Hamilton. She later recalled, They brought me word, Mr Whitby from the Admiralty. 'Show him in directly,' I said. He came in, and with a pale countenance and faint voice, said, 'We have gained a great Victory.' – 'Never mind your Victory,' I said. 'My letters – give me my letters' – Captain Whitby was unable to speak – tears in his eyes and a deathly paleness over his face made me comprehend him. I believe I gave a scream and fell back, and for ten hours I could neither speak nor shed a tear. Emma lay in bed prostrate with grief for many weeks, often receiving visitors in tears. It was some weeks before she heard that Nelson's last words were of her and that he had begged the nation to take care of her and Horatia. After Nelson's brother William and his wife Sarah distanced themselves from her (William being elated upon hearing that Nelson had not changed his will), she relied on Nelson's sisters (Kitty Matcham and Susanna Bolton) for moral support and company. Like her, the Boltons and Matchams had spent lavishly in expectation of Nelson's victorious return, and Emma gave them and other of his friends and relations money. ==Final years==

Nelson's will was read in November; William inherited his entire estate (including Bronte) except for Merton, as well as his bank accounts and possessions. The government had made William an Earl and his son Horatio (also known as Horace) a Viscount – the titles Nelson had aspired to – and now he was also Duke of Bronte. Emma received £2000, Merton, and £500 per annum from the Bronte estate – much less than she had when Nelson was alive, and not enough to maintain Merton. For most of 1811 and 1812 she was in a virtual debtors' prison, and in December 1812 either chose to commit herself (her name does not appear in the record books) or was sentenced to a prison sentence at the King's Bench Prison in Southwark, although she was not kept in a cell but allowed to live in rooms nearby with Horatia, per the system whereby genteel prisoners could buy the rights to live "within the Rules", a three-square-mile area around the prison. In early 1813, she petitioned the prince of Wales, the government and friends, but all of her requests failed, and she was obliged to have an auction of many of her possessions, including many Nelson relics, at low prices. However she continued to borrow money to maintain appearances. Public opinion turned against her after the Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton were published in April 1814. Emma was anxious to leave the country, but owing to the risk of arrest if she travelled on a normal ferry, she and Horatia hid from her creditors for a week before boarding a private vessel bound for Calais on 1 July 1814, with £50 in her purse. Initially taking apartments at the expensive Dessein's Hotel, she initially maintained a social life and fine dining by relying on creditors. Her old housekeeper, Dame Francis, came to run the household and hired other servants. However soon she was deeply in debt and suffered from longstanding health problems, including stomach pains, nausea and diarrhoea. She turned to the Roman Catholic church and joined the St Pierre congregation. ==Death==

In November, they moved into a cheap flat at 27 Rue Française; Emma started drinking heavily and taking laudanum. She died on 15 January 1815, aged 49. Emma was buried in Calais Lady Hamilton's death incentivized her creditors to submit an application to Robert Fulke Greville, the trustee of her annuity and the person she sought for financial assistance. To enable the creditor to collect his reward, Greville got a copy of the death certificate from the Calais Mairie. Colonel "Wellbred" as he was called finally closed all his former aunt in law's debts. Henry Cadogan cared for the 14-year-old Horatia in the aftermath of Emma's death and paid for her travel to Dover. The Matchams took her in to care for their younger children until she was sent to live with the Boltons two years later, Susanna having died in 1813. ==Honours and heraldry==

Emma Hamilton is generally known by the courtesy title of Lady Hamilton, to which she was entitled from 1791 as the wife and then widow of Sir William Hamilton. In 1800, she became a member of the Order of Malta. This was an unusual honour, awarded to Lady Hamilton by the then Grand Master of the Order, Paul I of Russia, in recognition of her role in the defence of the island of Malta against the French. Subsequently, she used her new title in formal circumstances, most notably, this was the title under which she was formally granted her own coat of arms by the English College of Arms in 1806, Per pale Or and Argent, three Lions rampant Gules, on a chief Sable, a Cross of eight points of the second. The lions evidently refer to her maiden surname of Lyons, and the addition of the Maltese Cross, which has puzzled heraldic scholars unaware of her connection to the Order. ==In popular culture==

• In cover artwork for many books, including Lady Hamilton as Circe on the cover of the Bantam Classics publication of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. • The 1926 operetta Lady Hamilton by the German composer Eduard Künneke. The operetta was revived in Cologne in 2004. • The 1919 silent British film The Romance of Lady Hamilton directed by Bert Haldane and starring Malvina Longfellow as Hamilton and Humberston Wright as Nelson. • The 1921 silent German film Lady Hamilton directed by Richard Oswald with Liane Haid as Hamilton and Conrad Veidt as Nelson. • Mentioned in the play La Tosca by Victorien Sardou. • The 1929 Vitaphone part-silent film The Divine Lady. Corinne Griffith played Lady Hamilton and Victor Varconi played Admiral Nelson. • The 1934 film Boots! Boots!, George Formby mentions Lady Hamilton and her relationship with Nelson in his song ''Why Don't Women Like Me'' • The 1941 film That Hamilton Woman starring Vivien Leigh as Emma and Laurence Olivier as Horatio. Leigh took publicity photos for the film arranged in poses very similar to paintings of Emma. The film is said to have been a favourite of Winston Churchill. • The 1951 opera Nelson by Lennox Berkeley. • The 1953 Soviet film Attack from the Sea. Emma Hamilton was portrayed by Yelena Kuzmina. • The 1968 film Emma Hamilton. Emma Hamilton was portrayed by Michèle Mercier. • The 1973 film Bequest to the Nation (released in the United States as The Nelson Affair). Emma Hamilton was portrayed by Glenda Jackson, and Peter Finch plays Nelson. • The 1979 song "Bang Bang", performed by B. A. Robertson, mentions both Lord Nelson ("Lord Nel") and Lady Hamilton. • The 1980s sitcom Blackadder the Third, the show's antihero Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), repeatedly mocks both Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton. • Susan Sontag's 1992 novel The Volcano Lover: A Romance is a fictionalised portrait of Lady Emma and the times in which she lived. • The 1999 song "I'd Like That" on English pop band XTC's 13th studio album Apple Venus Vol. 1 refers to the famous lovers in the line "I'd be your Nelson if you'd be my Hamilton." • Lady Hamilton features in Jasper Fforde's novel Lost in a Good Book where, in a parallel to the main character Thursday Next whose husband has been erased from history, Emma remembers a timeline where Nelson divorced his wife and the two were happily married until time-travelling “revisionists” arranged for Nelson's death at Trafalgar. • During the first episode of Doctor Who (2005) Season 10, a black and white portrait of Emma Hamilton (Aged 17) can be found hanging on the wall in the doctor's office (opposite his desk and to the right). • In Jamaica, a vacation resort is named after her as the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton. This resort is home to the largest swimming pool in Jamaica, and one of the largest in the world. == Bibliography ==