Emma, Lady Hamilton

"Emma Hamilton" redirects here. For the Australian actress, see Emma Hamilton (Australian actress). For the British-American author and actress, see Emma Walton Hamilton.

"Lady Hamilton" redirects here. For other uses, see Lady Hamilton (disambiguation).

Emma Hamilton
Portrait as a girl (aged seventeen) by George Romney, c. 1782
Born	Amy Lyon (1765-04-26)26 April 1765 Swan Cottage, Ness, Cheshire, England
Died	15 January 1815(1815-01-15) (aged 49) Calais, France
Other name	Emma Hart
Occupations	maid,singer,dancer,actress,model
Known for	Mistress of Lord Nelson
Title	Lady Hamilton (a courtesy title as the wife of a British knight, from 1791) Dame Emma Hamilton (a title in her own right as a female member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, from 1800)
Spouse	Sir William Hamilton ​ ​ (m. 1791; died 1803)​
Children	Emma Carew Horatia Nelson

Emma, Lady Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 1765 – 15 January 1815), was an English model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men, culminating in the naval hero Lord Nelson, and was the favourite model and muse of the portraitist George Romney.

In 1791, at the age of 26, she married Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples, where she was a success at court, befriending the queen who was a sister of Marie Antoinette, and meeting Nelson.

Early life

Lady Emma Hamilton, also known as Emma Hart , was born Amy Lyon on April 26, 1765, in Ness near Neston, Cheshire, England, the daughter of Henry Lyon, a blacksmith who died when she was two months old. She was baptised on 12 May 1765. She was raised by her mother, Mary Kidd (later Cadogan), and grandmother, Sarah Kidd, at Hawarden. She received no formal education.

Youth in Hawarden - Wales

Little is known about the early life of Lady Hamilton in Hawarden. According to her biographer Kate Williams, who researched all private and public archives she could find, the family was poor. Her parents signed the marriage register with an X, which meant they were illiterate. Sarah Kidd brought in little money as the village carter. Three or four times a week Kidd drove a cart to Chester - carrying coal, agricultural products and sometimes people. Being a woman Sarah Kidd wasn't allowed to sell products herself on the market in Chester.

According to romantic stories, Mary Kidd had an affair with a married man, an aristocrat, Sir John Glynne of Hawarden or a lord on a nearby estate. Kate Williams could find no evidence for these stories. If Mary Kidd was having an affair with a man who was able to give her money and extra food to save her family from malnutrition, it was a senior servant on a landed estate. Soon after the death of Sir John Glynne, Mary Kidd travelled to London, maybe following her lover who had lost his position upon his master's death.

According to the traditional view, Emma started to work, aged 12, as a nurse-maid at the Hawarden home of John Thomas, father of Honoratus Leigh Thomas (then 8 years old). However, Kate Williams takes the stance this can't be true. It is a myth created by Emma Hamilton herself, when she romanticised her early life. In the 18th century there was an impassible gulf between the upper and lower servants. Ladies' maids and companions were middle-class girls. Lower-class girls were destined to do the heavy manual labour. More important, Kate Williams discovered in the parish registers that there were no babies in the house at the time Emma Hamilton was employed by the Thomas Family.

Flora Fraser, a biographer of Lady Hamilton, wrote that the eldest Miss Thomas was the first person known to have sketched Emma. However, Kate Williams couldn't find evidence for this statement.

Emma only worked for the Thomas family for a few months. She was aggrieved to be dismissed, but took the opportunity to pursue her romantic dreams. As she later said, she was 'wild and thoughtless when a little girl'. According to Kate Williams she wanted to move to a place where she could be a new person. She wanted to be free from the stigma of scandals surrounding her family - her parents' marriage, her father's strange death, and the disgrace of being a Kidd. In the autumn of 1777, she joined the hundreds of girls who fled the country and headed to London to seek money and sensation.

First London years

Emma Hart/ Lady Hamilton as Circe - George Romney - 1782 - Waddesdon Manor (National Trust, Waddesdob, The Rothschild Collection)

Amy Lyon, now known as Lady Emma Hamilton, as she became upon her marriage to Sir William Hamilton, began employment for the Budd family in Chatham Place, Blackfriars, London. Once famous, she never spoke about her work as a maid for the Budds. The biographers of Jane Powell, who became a well-known actress, identified Emma as colleague of Jane Powell in service of the Budds. Mrs Powell became Emma's first close female friend. At the age of 13, Emma headed to the Drury Lane theatre in Covent Garden. She worked as a maid for actresses, including Mary Robinson. According to Kate Williams, Emma’s contact with actresses were an education for her.

The memoirist Henry Angelo claims in his memoirs that Emma worked as a maid for the Linley family, after she left Mary Robinson's services. She was dismissed, and was forced to work a street prostitute. Within days after her dismissal, Henry Angelo spotted Emma on the streets, hungry, but in the prime position for a man looking for a girl: standing against a post on the corner of Old Compton Street, Soho.

Henry Angelo: 'At the corner of New Compton street, my feelings were powerfully excited by the figure of a young woman, meanly attired, in the attitude of dejection, leaning against the post. Pausing some time, I could not resist speaking to her, and said, "My poor girl, you seem to be very unhappy, can I be of service to you?" Several times did I address her without effect, nor would she even look at me; I was disconcerted, and with some zeal (at the moment seeing an acquaintance coming towards me) said, "Will you be here to-night, at eight?” With a deep drawn sigh, she replied, "Yes." I was punctual; so was she. I then begged of her to relate to me her circumstances and the misfortune that had brought her into that condition. She made no hesitation in declaring her forlorn situation, with an assurance that she had not tasted food that day, the truth of which she proved by the voracious manner in which she devoured some biscuits I ordered to be placed before her.... Not many days afterwards, while I was taking my walk amongst the beaux and belles in Kensington gardens, my disconsolate beauty appeared to me again, accompanied by two élégantes, who could be compared to her, only because they were dressed alike. Not now the dejected female, in mean attire, but with a countenance beaming with pleasure, she appeared in all the grandeur of fashion. She approached me, saw my surprise, and immediately relieved me, by saying she lived at Mrs. Kelly's, Arlingtonstreet.'

According to Kate Williams, Emma worked in between shortly as a model and dancer as the “Goddess of Health" for James Graham, a Scottish "quack" doctor who claimed he could cure infertility. She soon left "The Temple of Health". She obtained a position in Madame Kelly's, one of the most exclusive brothels in London. Nicknamed "Santa Carlotta's Nunnery", Madam Kelly's brothel was on Arlington Street, next to the modern-day Ritz Hotel. At the age of 14, Emma became one of Kelly's employees who struggled under strict discipline. It was impossible to leave until they became old and Madam Kelly sold them to a cheaper brothel. However, if they were lucky, they could find a client who bought them out.

Mistress of Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh

At the of 15, Emma found such a protector in Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh. He hired her for several months as hostess and entertainer at a lengthy stag party at his Uppark country estate in the South Downs. As soon as he had inherited Uppark, he turned his new home into a venue for wild drinking and hunting parties. Miss Amy Lyon, the later lady Emma Hamilton, was hired to entertain the host and his guests, serve at dinner, dance and smile. She is said to have danced nude on his dining room table. Emma had her own suite of apartments in the house, but was dispatched to a cottage in the grounds when Sir Harry's mother visited him or respectable guests arrived. Normally, Emma was a member of the party in the house. However, she came in trouble by becoming pregnant. Fetherstonhaugh bought her out Madame Kelly's house, but ordered her to leave his house.

Mistress of Charles Frances Greville

During her period at Uppark Emma striked up a friendship with Charles Francis Greville (1749–1809), the second son of the Earl of Warwick and MP for Warwick, in the Midlands. Greville socialised in London with painters and art collectors. Emma turned to Greville when Fetherstonhaugh turned her down. Greville saw the prospectives of the beautiful Miss Amy Lyon.

Emma as Circe, by George Romney- 1782 - Tate, London

Greville took her in as his mistress, but with a lot of conditions. Amy Lyon, the flamboyant would-be actress and extrovert girl about town, became Mrs Emma Hart, Charles Greville's quiet and terribly shy mistress. Greville rented for Emma a small house in the village of Paddington, on the rural outskirts of London. Emma's mother was employed by Greville as Emma's chaperonne and unpaid housekeeper. Mary Lyon-Kidd, Emma's mother, became known as Mrs Cadogan. Greville made demanding rules. Emma's newborn baby, fathered by Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, had to stay away. The daughter, Emma Carew, was to be raised by her great-grandmother at Hawarden. Charles Greville wanted to keep Emma for himself. His letters to Emma and Sir William Hamilton, his uncle, show he tried to school the self-confessed 'gay wild Emily' into a completely new woman. "Emma Hart" had to be submissive and penitent for her earlier hectic life. Every aspect of her existence had to change: her occupation, dress, food, friends, hobbies and even speech. Greville left her at home while he attended dinners and receptions himself. At the same time he encouraged Emma to improve her reading and practicing singing and playing guitar. His "Magdalen" had to amuse him in the evenings like a housewife. Emma was transformed into an elegant performer and decorous hostess by Charles Francis Greville. Most of all, Greville wanted to make money out of her. Transformed in an elegant woman the newly created Emma Hart was the perfect model for painters who were attracted by the combination of her classical outlook and her dancing and entertaining experiences in expensive brothels.

Romney's new model and muse

Romney's first portrait of Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton. Sensibility, nowadays called "Lady Hamilton as nature". Frick Collection.

Greville sent "Emma Hart" to sit for the painter George Romney. For years, Romney had been looking for a muse, for a woman who could embody modern beauty in a classical form. The first sitting was a success. Pictured in red dress and cuddling Romney's dog, Sensibility, became the most popular in Romney's gallery. The painting was soon reproduced as print, displayed in shops around London and became a popular among the middles classes. Romney used Emma to bring to life the ideas inspired by his tour to Italy. Emma 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 the absence of museums, Romney's studio was a shop but also an exhibition room were went to learn about art, meet friends and people they would not meet in the society salons of London. Emma Hart was soon the London biggest celebrity and the most painted woman in Europe. Romney's painting were sold the owners of expensive stately homes, while cheap prints of the same portraits found their way to middle class homes. Versions of Emma's portraits began to appear on consumer goods: cups, fans, screens and clothing. Emma became a fantasy figure for thousands of men and a fashion leader for women. By 1783 she had become the most wanted model in London.

Meeting Sir William Hamilton

Portrait by George Romney, c. 1785

Charles Francis Greville was the second son of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick. He had no fortune and could only hope to become the heir of his uncle, William Hamilton (diplomat), the British envoy in Naples. In the meantime Greville had to find a richess heiress to marry to secure his financial situation. To have Emma out of the way and please his uncle at the same time, he suggested Sir William Hamilton to take Emma as a mistress. Sir William Hamilton was newly widowed in 1783 at the age of 55. He came to England to organise his late wife's estates and to sell some parts of his art collection. Since 1764 Sir William had been Envoy Plenipotentiary to Naples, fulfilling the role of ambassador. However, the British governent denied him the title and salary of an ambassador because the Kingdom of Naples was considered irrelevant to English and military interests, dismissing it as a close ally of Spain.

Sir William Hamilton was a Scottish aristocrat who socialised with the highest aristocrats in England. His father, Lord Archibald Hamilton, had been a Whig politician and served in the navy, finishing his career as lord of the Admiralty. Sir William himself had been member of Parliament (1761-1764) before he became a diplomat. The Kingdom of Naples wasn't an important diplomatic post, but Sir William took the opportunity to pursue his love of the classical history and art. In his immense amount of leisure time, he was able to explore the ash-covered ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the Mount Vesuvius. He became a member of the Society of Arts, a man of science and an avid collector of art and antiquities. His first wife, Catherine Barlow, had been an heiress. Her fortune gave Sir William the resources to collect antique treasures and old masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, Rubens, Velasques and Van Dyck.

Sir William Hamilton had grown up in the Royal Court, with the future king George III. His mother, Lady Jane Hamilton, had been the mistress of Frederick, Prince of Wales from about 1736 to 1745. Lady Jane was Lady of the Bedchamber of the Princess of Wales, the highest position open to a woman in the Royal Household. Sir William called king George III his foster brother, boasting that 'my Mother reared us and the same Nurse suckled us.' It was a hint that the Prince Frederick was his real father.

The new widower was immediately enchanted by Emma. He visited her almost daily while in London. At the same time Greville was falling out of love with Emma and having a secret affair with Elizabeth, Lady Craven, a playwright and daring socialite who was separated from her husband. However, Greville continued to feel responsible for Emma. By 1785 he developed an audacious plan which is visible in the papers of Greville, Emma and Sir William Hamilton. Greville offered Sir William Emma as his new mistress, while keeping Emma herself ignorant. Greville offered his uncle the 'prettiest woman in London'. At the same time, he ensured his uncle, she was cheap to keep. He asked Sir William to pay for Emma's journey to Naples and emphasised that when he married an heiress, his 'first concern will be to provide her [Emma], whether she is with you or not.' Emma believed she would stay with Sir William as a guest, but Greville portrayed her as an available mistres.

Emma was sent to Naples, supposedly for six to eight months, without realising that she was going as the mistress of her host. Emma set off for Naples with her mother and Gavin Hamilton (a friend of Greville who served as escort) on 13 March 1786 over land in an old coach. She arrived in Naples on her 21st birthday on 26 April. Emma wrote to Greville how she missed him: 'You don't know how glad I was to arrive hear the day I did, as it was my Birthday & I was very low spirited. Oh God, that day that you used to smile on me & stay at home & be kind to me, then that day I should be at such a distance, but my comfort is I shall rely on your promise & September or October I shall see you.'

Personality at the age of 21

Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante - George Romney - 1784

Emma Hart was sent to Naples at the age of nearly 21. She was at the top of her beauty and her celebrity. In 1784 George Romney painted Emma in pink as a Bacchante, running with a dog and her left breast almost entirely exposed. The painting was commissioned by an admiring Sir William. Prints of the painting were immediate bestsellers. Emma had also matured at that age from a wild country girl into a disciplined woman who could mix easily with aristocrats and royalty in metropolitan circumstances.

According to Kate Williams, Emma's difficult childhood had made her ambitious, hungry for the limelight and afraid of rejection. She was driven by a desire to please and to be praised. Greville's strictures kept her on the edge, making her aware that her position depended on correct behaviour. Energy, kindness and enthusiasm were her best features. On the negative side, she was an egomaniac, a trait born out of insecurity. Like many energetic , attention-seeking, and gregarious party-lovers, Emma could be unreliable, tardy and thoughtless. She had great self-confidence, but little self-knowledge. Emma was a terrible judge of character, which made her generous but always vulnerable to exploitation. She was an exciting but never relaxed person. Emma threw herself into frenetic social activity to escape the low spirits that engulfed her when she felt alone.

Life in Naples as Mrs Emma Hart

Sir William Hamilton - George Romney - 1783-1784

Sir William tried to be a good host for Emma, without becoming her lover. He installed her - together with her mother - in an 4 room apartment in his Naples' residence on the ground floor while staying himself in his private apartment on an upper floor. He even had another guest, Mrs Anne Damer, a potential wife, for some time. The main problem was Emma clearly believed, proven by letters whe wrote to Greville, she would only stay in Naples for a short time and Greville would come to pick her up and bring her back to England. A curious correspondence between Greville and Sir William Hamilton shows that Emma’s prospective position was not clear to Sir William himself. It is clear that she wasn't his mistress in her first period in Naples and that Sir William tried to be good host. He went with her to the theatre and opera, and introduced her to the King of Naples, who eventually courted Emma. With a brutal letter Greville made clear to Emma that he would not keep his promise and return to her, after which she decided to take Sir William up on his advances. She had already enjoyed his company, and now learned to appreciate his loving attention. After a while, she indeed became his mistress.

Sir William encouraged Emma to educate herself. The make-over of Mrs Emma Hart went on, with a new protector. Tutors were brought in to teach Emma to speak Italian, to sing, and to play on the harpsichord and guitar. She also took classes with the Queen's dancing master three times a week. Her many songbooks filled the shelves at the Palozzo Sesso. At dinners with English visitors and Napoltitan grandees, she was nearly alway asked to sing. Emma was eager to educate herself and used Sir William's extensive library in English. After making rapid progress with her Italian tutor, she soon also start to read in Italian books. Sir William showed Naples to her as a tourist.

Gradually the relation with Sir William Hamilton became more intense and after about six months she left her appartment on the ground floor to live together with Sir William in his private appartments in Palazzo Sessa, his residence as British envoy in Naples. Her mother stayed on the ground floor. As a mistress, Emma was unable to attend Court, but Sir William took her to every other party, assembly and outing. He gave her grand dresses and jewels in order to perform her duties inside and outside his Naples' residence.

Hostess of Sir William - The attitudes

Lady Hamilton - two attitudes

Emma also started to act as Sir William's hostess soon after she settled at the Palazzo Sessa. By this time she started to perform her "attitudes" as a way to entertain Sir William's guests. One of the guests was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In his Italian Journey he described how Emma Hart performed: 'Sir William Hamilton, who is still living here as English ambassador, has now, after many years of devotion to the arts and the study of nature, found the acme of these delights in the person of an English girl of twenty with a beautiful face and a perfect figure. He has had a Greek costume made for her which becomes her extremely. Dressed in this, she lets down her hair and, with a few shawls, gives so much variety to her poses, gestures, expressions, etc., that the spectator can hardly believe his eyes. He sees what thousands of artists would have liked to express realized before him in movements and surprising transformations - standing, kneeling, sitting, reclining, serious, sad, playful, ecstatic, contrite, alluring, threatening, anxious, one pose follows another without a break. She knows how to arrange the folds of her veil to match each mood, and has a hundred ways of turning it into a head-dress. The old knight idolizes her and is enthusiastic about everything she does. In her, he has found all the antiquities, all the profiles of Sicilian coins, even the Apollo Belvedere. This much is certain: as a performance it's like nothing you ever saw before in your life. We have already enjoyed it on two evenings.'

Thanks to her performances in combination with her astonishing beauty and already achived celebrity in London, Mrs Emma Hart became one of the biggest tourist attractions in Naples. The political and culture elite of Europe went to Naples to see her. Emma borrowed poses she had learned in Romney's studio - uniting classical models with sex appeal. The attitudes reflected Emma's endeavours to educate herself about classical culture, the great love of her protector Sir William Hamilton, by reading books from his library and accompanying him on his trips to Pompeï, Hercalaneum and Portici. She also joined him to excavacations of tombs in search of new vases - to collect or to sell them.

Critical comment - Élisabeth Vigée-Le Brun

Lady Hamilton as Ariadne - Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun

Emma not only met praise. The French artist Élisabeth Vigée-Le Brun painted Emma three times while she was in Naples, 1790-1791. As an artist, Vigée- Le Brun appreciated Emma’s talent as a model, but on the personal level she seems to have disliked Emma intensely. Vigée-Le Brun recounts in her memoires Emma’s humble origins and her recourse to prostitution, and describes her as coarse, dimwitted, supercilious, disdainful, manipulative, and vulgar. The art historian Ersy Contogouris suspects some dédain was Vigée-Le Brun's motive. Emma Hart was too famous to pass as a model if she received a commission, but having been Marie Antoinette’s official portraitist, Vigée-Le Brun quite possibly considered it beneath her to paint a lowborn courtesan. 'It is not surprising that she would seek to evacuate Emma froma painting that would become a declaration of her own worth and an intervention into the debate about female genius. Said another way, it is surprising that Vigée-Le Brun would choose Emma as the model for such an important painting given how she felt about her. This choice is the strongest testament of Emma’s genius for modelling.'

Manipulating Sir William Hamilton towards marriage

In 1789 and 1790 Naples was full of rumours Sir William Hamilton had married Emma Hart. By the end of 1790 the rumours had reached London and were circulated in the gossip press. They weren't married but the moment was arriving Sir Williams began to consider seriously the idea. He had given up the expectation of a promotion to Paris or Madrid, while he was devoted to Emma. It would be difficult to introduce Emma to Frence or Spanish society, but the Neopolitans loved her and would accept her as his wife. According to Kate Williams, Emma's biographer, Emma wanted a marriage dearly, but knew she had to act carefully. She wasn't in a position to make emotional demands.

In a letter to his niece, Mary Hamilton, Sir William Hamilton showed his pride about Emma, but also his hesitance to marry her because it would affect his position at Court: 'I do assure you that her goodness of heart is such, & conduct has been such for four years she has resided with me, that I should not hesitate, was I in a private charachter, to put the law on the side of our Connection. But I have experienced that of all Women in the World, the English are the most difficult to deal with abroad, I fear eternal tracasseries, was she to be placed about them, & which must be the case, as a Minister's Wife, in every country. takes place of every rank of Nobility.... You would be surprised at her having learned so much in 4 years. She is perfect in Italian, begins to speak french tolerably, & sings certainly better than any English Woman I ever heard.'

Heneage Legge, a friend of Greville who had met Emma while she was Greville's mistress, visited Naples and sent his observations by letter to Greville: ‘The language of both parties, who always spoke in the plural number - we, us & ours — stagger'd me at first, but soon made me determine to speak openly to him on the subject, when he assur'd me, what I confess I was most happy to hear, that he was not married; but flung out some hints of doing justice to her good behaviour, if his public situation did not forbid him to consider himself an independent man. Her influence over him exceeds all belief; his attachment exceeds admiration, it is perfect dotage. She gives everybody to understand that he is now going to England to sollicit the K's consent to marry her, & that on her return she shall appear as Ly H. She says it is impossible to continue in her present dubious state, which exposes her to frequent slight & mortification; & his whole thought, happiness & comfort seems so centre'd in her presence, that if she should refuse to return on other terms, I am confident she will gain her point, against which it is the duty of every friend to strengthen his mind as much as possible; & she will be satisfied with no argument but the King's absolute refusal of his approbation. Her talents & powers of amusing are very wonderfull; her voice is very fine, but she does not sing with great taste, & Aprili says she has not a good ear; her attitudes are beyond description beautifull and striking, & I think you will find her figure much improved since you last saw her. They say they shall be in London by the latter end of May, that their stay in England will be as short as possible, & that, having settled his affairs, he is determin'd never to return. She is much visited here by ladies of the highest rank, & many of the Corps diplomatique, does the honours of his house with great attention & desire to please, but wants a little refinement of manners, in which, in the course of six years, I wonder she has not made greater progress. I have all along told her she could never change her situation for the better, & that she was a happier woman as Mrs H. than she would be as Ly H., when, more reserved behaviour being necessary, she would be depriv'd of half her amusements, & must no longer sing those comic parts which tend so much to the entertainment of herself & her friends. She does not accede to that doctrine, & unless great care is taken to prevent it I am clear she will in some unguarded hour work upon his empassion'd mind, & effect her design of becoming your aunt. He tells me he has made ample provision for her, in which he is certainly right, and with that she ought to be content. It must be unnecessary for me to caution you against ever telling them that I wrote to you on this subject, nor should I have done it, if I had not been sure that you are not apprised of the state they are in, & the unbounded influence she has gain'd over him & all that belongs to him.’

According to Kate Williams. Sir William's friends in Naples encouraged him to marry Emma. Queen Maria Carolina was among them. She had not forgotten Emma had tactfully rebuffed the attentions of her husband, King Ferdinand I of Naples. The charismatic and ruthless Maria Carolina of Austria was a powerful Queen behind the Neapolian throne. She had been raised in the backbiting Austrian Court while her mother Maria Theresa ruled the country. Maria Theresa had demanded through the marriage contract that her daughter would get a place on the Neapolitan state council after she had given birth to a son. In 1777 Maria Carolina took this position and quickly assumed power over her husband. Together with John Acton, an English general and de facto Prime Minister, Maria Carolina ruled the Kingdom of Naples. It was the largest of the Italian states, embracing Sicily and the southern half of the peninsula. She controlled the distribution of patronage, favours and positions in the Neapolitan Court like the Austrian Habsburgers were used to do. Her husband was a Bourbon, the brother of Charles IV of Spain. Maria Carolina steadily extricated Naples from the orbit of Spain and strengthened it links with Austria. By marrying off two Neapolitan princesses to the Austrian crown prince and his younger brother (the Grand Duke of Tuscany), she cemented the relation with her native Austria. Maria Carolina saw political opportinities in a formal match between Sir William Hamilton and Emma Hart. Emma would probably a more malleable conduit to British influence than the late Catherine Hamilton had been. Maria Carolina, sister of Queen Marie-Antoinette of France, followed the news about the French Revolution and the diposal of King Louis XIV neatly. She feared for a French invasion and hoped to secure through the Hamiltons British support.

William and Catherine Hamilton, ca. 1770.

In a letter to Mary Hamilon, Sir William's niece, Lady Catherine Hamilton had described sharply the situation long before her husband met Emma Hart. Queen Maria Carolina had always treated her with greatest kindness, but 'I am a bad Courtier & I know her Majesty's disposition too well to place any confidence in any encouragement she may please to give me.' In fully confidence, Catherine Hamilton described in 1777 the situation: 'the Queen ... is quick, clever, insinuating when she pleases, hates & loves violently, but her passions of both kinds pass like the Wind, she is too proud, & too humble, there is no dependance on what she says, as she is seldom of the same opinion two days, her strongest & most durable passions are ambition & Vanity, the latter of which of which gives her a strong disposition to Coquetry, but the former, which I think is her principle Object, makes her use every Art to please the King, in order to get the Reins of Government into her hands in as great a measure as is possible. With all this she is an excellent Mother, & is very generous & charitable, did you ever know such a compound! The King is in many things a direct contrast to the Queen, but he has neither education or Art, it is a thousand pitys he has not the former for he deserves it, his heart is excellent & his head by no means deficient, on the contrary he has an uncommon deal of quickness, he is sincere, constant in his friendships, benevolent, a natural disposition to justice, & his love to please is so genuine that I know numberless instances where he had done goodnatured actions, so entirely for his own satisfaction, that he has not wish'd it to be known from whence their Source came; he cannot bear a lie nor does he ever forget the Man whom he has caught in one; he has great regard for the Queen, & She has some weight with him, but he sees a good deal into her character, & will have his own way.'

A second Lady Hamilton, unlike her predecessor an experienced pleaser and adapter to the circumstances, could make the difference for Sir William Hamilton in his position as British diplomat. Hamilton himself had no or little informal entrance to Maria Carolina, his second wife would have. In January 1791 Emma and Hamilton appeared together at a concert and ball attended by all the foreign ambassadors and their wives. According to his biographer Brian Fothergill, Hamilon may well have used this diplomatic occasion as a sort of trial run. Emma wrote enthusiastically to Greville: 'As it was the first great assembly we had given publickly all the ladies strove to out-do another in dress and jewels, but Sir William said I was the finest jewel amongst them.' She didn't tell Greville that her lover had chosen the moment of this experiment while the King and Queen were absent in Naples because they were visisting Austria, Maria Carolina's motherland. Three months later Emma, Hamilton and Mary Cadogan travelled to England, travelling through Europe. In Florence they met the King and Queen of Naples, returning from Vienna. The trio reached London at the end of May. The following step was: discuss the matter with King George III, Hamilton's "foster-brother" and his the formal employer as British diplomat. George III had no objection to the marriage, but in view of the lady's past he did not think he could ask his wife, Queen Charlotte, to receive her at the British court. This meant that Emma could have no official position at Naples either. She would be the wife of Sir William Hamilton, but she would not hold the rank of Ambassadress of Great Britain. As a consequence, Emma could only be received by Queen Maria Carolina of Naples in a private capacity. As Sir William Hamilton assured James Bland Burges, an under-secretary of state in the Foreign Department, after his return in Naples: 'She is totally indipendant of the Diplomatic line.' To his niece Mary Hamilton he wrote: 'The Queen of Naples, informed of all my proceedings, told me she wou'd see my Wife, tho' she could not acknowledge her as the Wife of the English Minister, & she received her most kindly. Emma very naturally told her whole story & that the desire was by her future conduct to shew her gratitude to me, and to prove to the world that a young, beautiful Woman. tho' of obscure birth, could have noble sentiments and act properly in the great World. In short the Queen of N. is quite fond of her & has taken her under her protection. All the Neapolitan Nobility have been to see her & shew her every attention & the English ladies who are numerous her this year, are quite fond of her.'

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  Emma as a Sibyl, by George Romney, c. 1785
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  Emma as a Bacchante, by George Romney
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  Emma as Miranda, by George Romney
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  Lady Emma Hamilton, as Cassandra, by George Romney
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  Lady Hamilton as The Magdalene, by George Romney, before 1792
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  Lady Hamilton as Titania with Puck and Changeling, by George Romney, 1793
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  Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante, by Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1790–1791
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  Pastel by Johann Heinrich Schmidt, c. 1800, owned by Nelson

Marriage to Sir William Hamilton

Portrait of Sir William Hamilton - David Allan- 1775 - National Portrait Gallery, London

Emma and Sir William Hamilton travelled to England in 1791. On 28 August 1791 Sir William received the King's consent for a marriage during a private audience. The couple was married on 6 September 1791 at St Marylebone Parish Church, then a plain small building. Sir William wanted a small, secretive wedding. He feared a mob at church. He also didn't want people to hear the proof, when the names of the couple were read out, that Mrs Hart had indeed been the notorious Amy Lyon.

Although she was obliged to use her legal name of Amy Lyon on the marriage register, the marriage gave Emma the courtesy title "Lady Hamilton" which she would use for the rest of her life. Emma signed the register as Amy Lyons. The witnesses were Hamilton's cousin the Marquess of Abercorn and Louis Dutens, who had been chaplain at Turin. The following day Sir William Hamilton was sworn of the Privy Council in 1791.

Emma Hamilton wasn't received at the English court. The consequence was that she should only be Hamilton's wife. Lady Hamilton was never the Ambassadress. However Emma, gave herself the air and occassionaly referred to Mrs Cadogan, her mother, as La Signora Madre dell'Ambassadrice. George Romney provided for a compensation in art. Straight after the wedding, the party went to his studio to make some sketches of the newly wed Emma. The painted portrait he would make was the be called informally The Ambassadrice.

George Romney - Lady Hamilton as Ambassadress - 1791.

The Ambassadrice was the last portrait Romney would paint of Emma from life. She posed in her wedding dress. Lady Hamilton, as the portrait was officially called, highlights Emma's position as the wife of the ambassador to Naples, the smoking Vesuvius in the background. Lady Hamilton did not emanate from a commission. It was not destined for Emma and Sir William and does not seem to have meant for the public eye. Contrary to earlier portraits of Emma, her pose is closed and her look is wistful. The portrait is suffused with melancholy. Romney, who completed the portrait after her departure, realised who would never see her again.It is probably Romney's private farewell to his muse. In the portrait, Emma's body is directed to Naples and thereby her future, but her head turns back to look at her past for the last time. Her expression is bittersweet, a sense of contentment for the status she has achieved, optimism about the future, mixed with affection and sadness for everything and everyone she leaves behind. The portrait remained in possession of Romney, but was sent in 1800 to Mary Cadogan, Emma's mother, after she, Emma, Sir William and Nelson had moved back to London. After Emma left for Naples, Romney indeed felt into a deep depression. He sought inspiration in the sketchbooks he had filled with drawings of Emma, but he missed the spark of Emma's presence in his studio. Romney drew a series of frenzied sketches of Emma, which grew increasingly nightmarish and sexual.

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.

Life in Naples as Lady Hamilton

Lady Hamilton as Ariadne by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1790

As a married woman, Emma Hamilton, was finally welcome at the Royal court of Naples. Lady Hamilton became a close friend of Queen Maria Carolina, sister of Queen Marie Antoinette of France and wife of Ferdinand I of Naples.

Emma Hamilton secured the best possible entrance to Maria Carolina by a visit she had brought to Queen Marie Antoinette in Paris on her way back from London, newly wed, to Naples. Maria Carolina and Marie Antoinette were brought up together and were very close. Emma Hamilton was able to bring a letter from the already imprisoned Marie Antoinette to Maria Carolina. Maria Carolina was attracted to Emma Hamilton as a political ally and also as a personal friend.

According to Kate Williams, Emma became a style leader in England shortly after her marriage. At Queen Charlotte's birthday gala, a few months after Emma's departure for Naples, almost every woman was dressed 'à la Hamilton': in a flowing, simple white crêpe and satin dress. Like Emma Hamilton the ladies arranged their hair in loose Grecian style, circled with a jewelled headband and a few feathers. The Lady's Magazine, the lead fashion magazine, started to promote the 'à la Emma' look in earnest. In Naples Emma endeavoured to be the perfect hostess and courtier for Sir Wlliam Hamilton, always telling him how grateful she was for his kindness to her. She went on to educate herself herself to be a perfect lady, practising music and French. She started to study the fasionable topic of botany. She also developed some charitable interests.

Sir William Hamilton was doted on Emma, as several observers noted, but he had no romantic illusions about his marriage. In discussion with an old friend, Joseph Banks, in March 1792: 'Lady Hamilton has nothing to do with my public character but Their Sicilian Majesties are so good as to receive and treat her as any other Travelling Lady of distinction. She has gained the hearts of all, even of the Ladies, by her humilty and proper behaviour, and we shall I dare say go on well. I will allow with you that 99 times in hundred such a step as I took would be very imprudent, but I know my way here, and here I mean to pass the most of the days that I can have a chance of living. Without a Woman you can have no society at home and I am sure you will hear from every quarter of the Comforts of my house.'

Observations of Mary, Lady Palmerston

Naples was becoming the social capital of Europe after Paris lost this position as a result of the French Revolution. Emma won approval, but also some critical remarks of visiting British aristocrats.

Mary, Lady Palmerston, herself the daughter of a merchant and the mother of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, the future Prime Minister of Britain: 'Lady Hamilton looked extremely handsome and really does the honours uncommonly well. She is extremely obliging, without the least appearance of feeling any elevation from the change in her situation. Sir William perfectly idolises her and I do not wonder he is proud of so magnificent a marble, belonging entirely to himself.' However, there was also a negative note. 'I like Lady H. too well not to wish that she had never learned to sing, for certainly her talents do not lie that way. Her voice is powerful but perfectly without harmony and I am sure she has no ear. She is, however, a very extraordinary character, and by her conduct proves how much she merits her great reverse of fortune.' A small month later: 'Lady H. is to me very surprising, for considering the situation she was in she behaves wonderfully well. Now and then to be sure a little vulgarness pops out, but I think it's more Sir William's fault, who loves a good joke and leads her to enter into her stories, which are not of the best kind. She is vastly desirous to please and is very civil and good humoured to all her friends and her attention to Sir William is infinitely amiable...' A small year later: 'We dined a large party today with Lady Hamilton... Nothing could do the honours better than Lady H., and few so well. The more I see of her, the more I admire her and think her a very superior woman...'

Mary, Viscountess Palmerston was the second wife of Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston.She was a rather colourless figure beside her much olderhusband - equally well meaning, but never quite at ease among the aristocracy.

Refining the attitudes

The Attitudes of Lady Hamilton - Pietro Antonio Novelli

Emma refined her attitudes during her marriage with Sir William Hamilton. She started with them soon after arriving in Naples and got on with her performances until she was in her late forties. Her performances never fell out of favour because Emma followed the latest fashions and styles. Her costumes and attributes became more varied. As a formal wife to Sir William Hamilton, she was able to interact with his guests and his servants by giving them roles in the performances. The more experienced she became, she added songs varied her hairdressing. Emma also tailored her attitudes to her audiences. To spectators in Naples showed classical poses along their experiences during touring in Pompeï. In London she played a Neapolitan peasant woman, posing in a Turkish harem for or populist audience. Or, she capitalised her fame as model, imitating famous statues and paintings. She also promoted her ambitions. As a mistress, she performed Magdalen, the woman penitent for her early life. After 1791, when she advocating Maria Carolina's desire to defend Naples against the French, she imitated figures from classical history who resisted tyranny and invasion. After her return to England, she emphased her pregnancy by postures of a mother and showed herself as Cleopatra, matching the media's representation of her as the sexy, powerful and exotic Queen.

The attitudes started as a form of domestic entertainment, staged for the benefits of Sir William Hamilton's guests. It was part of the role of hostess which wifes, daughters of mistresses were expected to play in the 18th Century. However, Emma's attitudes became famous. A visit to Hamilton's became part of any Grand Tourist’s itinerary while at the same time many artists made drawings of Emma's attitudes.The drawings of the Hanoverian painter Friedrich Rehberg, who travelled to Naples in 1791, were engraved by Tommaso Piroli and published in Rome in 1794. The volume - Drawings Faithfully Copied from Nature at Naples - helped to spread Emma’s fame across Europe from pictorial art to female fashion. Her poses were copied by ladies in their salons, courtesans and dancers. Juliette Récamier, the great beauty of Napoleonic France and an intimate of Empress Josephine, was among them. Isadora Duncan reworked Emma's techniques in the late 19th Century by performing sensual, fluid dances in classical garb. Duncan became a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, with performances throughout Europe and the United States.

Oulines from the figures and compositions upon the Greek, Roman and Etruscan vase - Sir William Hamilton

According to David Constantine, biographer of Sir William Hamilton, Sir William was Emma's first impressario. Analysing the correspondence of Sir William Hamilton and Greville, Constantine took the stance it is very likely Sir William also invented the art itself. Emma was first of all an actrice, taking up the role she was asked to play. However, there was first George Romney who saw Emma's potention as the ideal classical model and took the opportunity to bring his ideas alive with Emma as his model and muse. Between March 1782 and Spring 1786 Emma had more than 300 sittings in Romney's studio. She was mostly dressed in costume during those sitting - as Circe, Medea, Thetis, a bacchante. Romney used strong theatrical effects, costumes and lightning to break the immobility which made most portraits dull. He asked his model to ‘imitate’ or (though immobile) act certain powerful emotions, and then seek to convey them in his portraits. As early as August 1783, shortly after he had met Emma in person, Sir William commissioned his friend Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint Emma's portrait. He accompanied Emma to the sittings. Reynolds painted Emma as a bacchante, but didn't reach the quality Romney already achieved. Hamilton turned to Romney with the same commission, and there too Sir William accompanied her to the sittings. So, Sir William Hamilton had already seen Emma frequently seen in costumes - holding a pose, striking an attitude, requiring to be looked at - before Greville offered him to take Emma over as his mistress. Sir William Hamilton was in 1783 an established connoisseur of classical art who had already published his research about classical poses on Greek vases. In 1789 he started his second collection and published about it in 1793. Maybe already in 1783, and certainly later, he developed ideas to make Emma his ‘pantomime mistress’ and his ‘gallery of statues’, as Horace Walpole described it. Sir William bought Emma the necessary costumes and he stage-managed the attitudes personally by controlling the lighting. He problably found the inspiration for many of Emma's poses in the vases and sculptures in his vast collection or in books and manuscripts in his well-stocked library. He gave Emma an important role as his hostess shortly after her arrival in Naples despite of her foolishness and vulgarity. Her behaviour was not according the British aristocratic codes Sir William Hamilton was brought up with. According to several critical British visitors, Emma was in normal life vulgar: her accent betrayed her low background and she loved gambling during parties. Emma's behaviour was not exceptional in comparison with other members of the (mostly Italian) party, but not always acceptable in the critical eyes of British visitors - visitors, whose numbers multiplied after the Hamilton's marriage because Emma had become a well-known celebrity while revolutionary Paris was no longer the center of international society. Anyway, it seemed there were two Emma's existing. As soon as Emma was dressed in theatrical costumes and started to act her attitudues, Emma became something extra-ordinary.

A part of the success of attitudes was the quick movements from one mythical role to another. For example, Emma switched in a few moments from being Medea, a mother who killed her children, to Niobe, a mother whose children were killed as punishment by Apollo and Artemis. Another successful dimension of Emma’s performance was the deployment of shawls. Shawls, especially those from India made from cashmere, were highly sought-after fashion accessories in late-Georgian Britain. Emma draped one shawl over another and made in quick movements and in different cultural styles - Grecian, Turkish, and other drapery, as well as a variety of turbans. Shawls were in fashion and Emma, in her role of fashion leader, made them more fashionable.

The attitudes were invented by Emma Hamilton with an important role of Sir William Hamilton on the background and she received several followers. Among them was Ida Brun from Denmark, who became Emma's successor in the new art form.

The attitudes are closely researched by several art historians.

Meeting Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), 1st Viscount Nelson - Leonardo Guzzardi

Following the instructions of the British Real Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, Nelson sailed The Agamemnon towards the Bay of Naples in order to research the possibility of an alliance of Britain and the Kingdom of Naples while in France the Jacobins agression was growing. In December 1792 a French aquadron had arrived in the bay of Naples, intimidating the Kingdom of Naples. However, it took half a year for king Ferdinand to commit himself to an alliance with Britain. He undertook to supply six thousand soldiers and a dozen ships if required. The Naples government realised it would become largely dependent on the British Royal Navy for its security. Only British ships could prevent another French squadron treating the capital. Therefore, Nelson, was an important visitor for them. Nelson was received by Sir William Hamilton in his residence as 'His Brittanic Majesty's Envioy Extraordinary and Ministers Plenitory to the Court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies'. Horatio Nelson, a man of humble descent who dreamt of glory, was impressed by the way he was received. Hamilton had earlier carefully read Hood's letter, was already preparing ground for a British-Italian alliance and was by now listened patiently as Nelson spoke. It was up to captain Nelson to come to an agreement with King Ferdinand and John Acton, his main adviser, after Hamilton's careful preparations. Sir William therefore escorted Nelson straight to the leading minister in his office opposite the royal palace. Nelson was pleasantly surprised to find that Sir John Fancis Edward Acton, though born in France fifty-seven years ago. was of English ancestry and by profession a naval man. In all but name, he was the prime minister, and played a key role in breaking the influence of Spain upon the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and developing a British orientation. The next days Nelson was given a superb treatment with dinners in both the envoy's residence and at the royal palace. All diplomatic and ceremonial possiblities were used to please the visiting the captain and his men. King Ferdinand pompusly led three battalions of Capua through town. When the king saw Nelson and Hamilton he halted the march and dressed his men before parading them before the important observers. Lady Hamilton was helpful towards his boys, including his stepson, by giving them tickets to the King's museum and the ruins of Herculaneum. To his wife Nelson wrote: 'Lady Hamilton has been wonderfully kind and good to Josiah'. Naples gave the ambitious Nelson everything he craved for years: a prime minister and a king flattered en feted him. His new friends, the Hamiltons, threw open their impressive house full of antiquities and impressive art, open to him. Major guests were given the upper apartments in Palazzo Sesso. A room on the southwest corner of the house was circular, and its balconied window was offering a vast panorama over the bay was reflected in a wall of mirrors opposite to create the illusion that its occupants were entirely surrounded by water. After making a deal with the Neapolitan government, thousands of men had been instantly mobilised at his command. According to his main biographer, John Sudgen, Nelson lapped up his new status like a thirsty dog. He had never been treated like this before, and as Naples receded he was in a state of warm euphoria. In a journal he confided: 'I believe we carry with us the good wishes of Naples, and of Sir William and Lady Hamilton in particular, which I esteem more than all the rest. Farewell Naples! May those who were kind to me be repaid ten-fold. If I am succesful, I return.'

Nelson returned to Naples five years later, on 22 September 1798. By then he won the military glory he had longed for and had becoming a living legend after his victory at the Battle of the Nile. He had become Baron Nelson of the Nile and the Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk, his home town in Britain. Every newspaper had praised. Even the scabrous James Gillray produced congratulatory caricatures. Nelson had become suddenly a heartthrob. Fashionable ladies had hurried to dress themselves 'alla Nelson' in Nelson-themed attributes like shawl, hair ribbons and bags. England wanted to become Fanny Nelson, his wife, to become the high priest of the new Nelson cult, but she declined because it was not according her personality and morals to do so. Nelson was deeply disappointed. He wanted her to cultivate his fame while he was away, cover her house and herself in tributes to him, and report back on the eulogies in the papers. The marriage, which had never been happy, started to decline. According to Kate Williams, Lady Emma Hamilton wanted to grab his attention and share some of his incredible fame. At the same time, she was determined to confirm him as the defender of her dear Queen Maria Carolina of Naples, proving herself the key political machinator of the court.

Intent on captivating Nelson, Emma wrote an extravagantly passionate letter on 8 September 1798: 'How shall I begin, what shall I say to you 'tis impossible I can write…. I am delerious with joy, and assure you I have a fervour caused by agitation and pleasure. God, what a victory! Never, never has there been anything half so glorious, so compleat. I fainted when I heard the joyfull news, and fell on my side and am hurt, but well of that. I shou'd feil it a glory to die in such a cause. No I wou'd not like to die till I see and embrace the Victor of the Nile. How shall I describe to you the transports of Maria Carolina, 'tis not possible. She fainted and kissed her husband, her children, walked about the room, cried, kissed and embraced every person near her, exclaiming, Oh brave Nelson, oh, God bless and protect our brave deliverer, oh Nelson, Nelson what do we not owe to you, o Victor, Saviour of Itali, that my swolen heart cou'd now tell him personally what we owe to him! The Neapolitans are made with joy, and if you wos here now, you wou'd be killed with kindness. Sonets on sonets, illuminations, rejoicings; not a French dog dare shew his face.How I glory in the honner of my Country and my Countryman! I walk and tread in the air with pride, feiling I was born in the same land with the victor Nelson and his gallant band… We are preparing your appartment against you come. I hope it will not be long, for Sir William and I are so impatient to embrace you. I wish you cou'd have seen our house the 3 nights of illumination. ‘Tis, 'twas covered with your glorious name. Their were 3 thousand Lamps, and their shou'd have been 3 millions if we had time.... For God's sake come to Naples soon. We receive so many sonets and letters of congratulation…. I woul'd rather be an English powder monkey or a swab in that great victory than an Emperor out of it. My dress from head to foot is alia Nelson. Ask Hoste. Even my shawl is in Blue with gold anchors all over. My earrings are Nelson's anchors; in short, we are be-Nelsoned all over.I send you some Sonet… I am afraid you will not be able to read this scrawl.'

A small fortnight later Nelson arrived at Naples in the Vanguard. Five hundred boats with musicians and cheering courtiers flocked to meet the hero. Crowds lined the shore, and bands were playing 'Rule Brittannia' and 'See the Conquering Hero'. Nelson was brought to the Palloza Sessa once again. Emma arranged a party under his husband's roof with 1,800 guests to celebrate his 40th birthday on 29 September. After the party, Emma became Nelson's secretary, translator and political facilitator. She translated from French and Italian for him, guided him around the Court, and escorted him to the Queen. 'Lady Hamilton is an angel', he wrote to John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, the British naval commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, describing her as 'my Ambassadrice to the Queen.' They soon fell in love. By November 1798, less than two months after Nelson's arrival in Naples, everybody was gossiping that the two biggest sex symbols of their day were having an affair.

'Lady Hamilton as the Persian Sibyl', 1792, by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, commissioned by the Duc de Brissac and painted in Naples, a copy of which was sent to Sir William. This portrait gained great fame wherever it was displayed, and was instrumental in the rise of Le Brun's career as a portrait artist.^{102, 104, 124, 129}

In 1799, Naples was the scene of a strange revolution led by members of the aristocracy; the common people did not agree with the revolution. The French troops were not welcome, but the royal family fled to Sicily. From here, Nelson tried to help the royal family put down the revolutionaries. He had no support from the British government. He even allowed one of the leaders of the revolution, Admiral Francesco Caracciolo, to be executed for treason. Emma played an important role in helping to put an end to the revolution when she arrived near Naples with Nelson's fleet on 24 June 1799. 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. Nelson, Emma, her mother and William travelled together—taking the longest possible route back to Britain via Central Europe (hearing the Missa in Angustiis by Joseph Haydn, now known as the "Nelson Mass", in Vienna in 1800 and meeting the composer as well in the Esterhazy palace in Eisenstadt). They eventually arrived in Yarmouth to a hero's welcome on 6 November 1800.

Upon arrival in London on 8 November, the three of them took suites at Nerot's Hotel after a missed communication from Nelson to his wife about receiving the party at their home, Roundwood. Lady Nelson and Nelson's father arrived and they all dined at the hotel. Nelson's wife Fanny was deeply unhappy to see Emma pregnant. The affair soon became public knowledge and, much to the delight of the newspapers, Fanny did not accept the affair as placidly as Sir William. Emma was winning the media war at that point, and every fine lady was experimenting with her "look." Nelson himself contributed to his wife Fanny's misery by being cruel to her when not in Emma's company. Emma's husband, Sir William, was mercilessly lampooned in the press. However, his sister observed that he doted on Emma and she was very attached to him.

The Hamiltons moved into William Beckford's mansion at 22 Grosvenor Square, and Nelson and Fanny took an expensive furnished house at 17 Dover Street, a comfortable walking distance away, until December, when Sir William rented a home at 23 Piccadilly, opposite Green Park. On 1 January, Nelson's promotion to vice admiral was confirmed and he prepared to go to sea on the same night. After his departure on 13 January, he sent Fanny a few brief and hostile letters (many of which she burned) before finally cutting her off in March. He never saw her again after being hustled out of town by an agent. While he was at sea, Nelson and Emma exchanged many letters, using a secret code to discuss Emma's condition. Emma kept her first daughter Emma Carew's existence a secret from Nelson, and Sir William continued to provide for her.

Birth of Horatia

Lady Hamilton as La Penserosa by Thomas Lawrence, 1792

On 29 January 1801 at 23 Piccadilly, Emma gave birth to Nelson's daughter Horatia, who was taken soon afterwards to a Mrs Gibson for care and hire of a wet nurse. On 1 February, Emma made a spectacular appearance at a concert at the house of the Duke of Norfolk in St James' Square, and Emma worked hard to keep the press onside.

Soon after this, the Prince of Wales (later King George IV) became infatuated with Emma, leading Nelson to be consumed by jealousy, and inspiring a remarkable letter by Sir William to Nelson, assuring him that she was being faithful. In late February, Nelson returned to London and met his daughter at Mrs Gibson's. Nelson's family were aware of the pregnancy, and his clergyman brother Rev. William Nelson wrote to Emma praising her virtue and goodness. Nelson and Emma continued to write letters to each other when he was away at sea, all of which she kept. While he was away too, she arranged for her mother to visit the Kidds in Hawarden and her daughter in Manchester.

By the autumn of the same year, upon Emma's advice, Nelson bought Merton Place, a small ramshackle house at Merton, near Wimbledon, for £9,000, borrowing money from his friend Davison. He gave her free rein with spending to improve the property, and her vision was to transform the house into a celebration of his genius. There they lived together openly, with Sir William and Emma's mother, in a ménage à trois that fascinated the public. Emma turned herself to winning over Nelson's family, nursing his 80-year-old father Edmund for 10 days at Merton, who loved her and thought of moving into the home with them, but he could not bear to leave his beloved Norfolk. Emma also made herself useful to Nelson's sisters Kitty (Catherine), married to George Matcham, and Susanna, married to Thomas Bolton, by helping to raise their children and to make ends meet. Nelson's sister-in-law Sarah (married to William), also pressed him for assistance and favours, including the payment of their son Horatio's school fees at Eton. Around this time, Emma finally told Nelson about her daughter Emma Carew, now known as Emma Hartley, and found that she had had nothing to worry about; he invited her to stay at Merton and soon grew fond of "Emma's relative". An unpublished letter shows that Nelson assumed responsibility for upkeep of young Emma at this time. 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;

...she is bold & unguarded in her manner, is grown fat, & drinks freely.

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.

Death of Sir William

The newspapers reported on their every move, including trips to Wales to inspect Sir William's estates and a holiday to Ramsgate intended to give him some peace and quiet, and looked to Emma to set fashions in dress, home decoration and even dinner party menus. By the autumn of 1803, Sir William's health was declining, at the same time that the peace with France was disintegrating. A "Children's Ball" was thrown after New Year, in honour of Horatia, and a concert for 100 guests staged in February.

Soon afterwards, Sir William collapsed at 23 Piccadilly and on 6 April died in Emma's arms. Charles Greville was the executor of the estate and he instructed her to leave 23 Piccadilly, but for the sake of respectability, she had to keep an address separate from Nelson's and so moved into 11 Clarges Street, not far away, a couple of months later. The artist Le Brun, who visited Emma in 1802, remarked that Emma did not seem convincingly moved by her husband's death, and had 'grown horribly fat' in this point of time (the last time they had met was in Naples, when Nelson was courting Emma).

Nelson had been offered the position of commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, and they rushed to have Horatia christened at Marylebone Parish Church before he left. On her baptism record, her name was recorded as Horatia Nelson Thompson, and her date of birth falsely recorded as 29 October 1800 in order to continue the pretence that she had been born in Naples and was godchild of Emma and Nelson, according to Kate Williams and based on an unpublished letter; however the only publicly available transcription of the record shows 29 October 1801. Nelson later wrote a letter explaining that the child was an orphan "left to his care and protection" in Naples.

Emma planned, paid for and hosted the wedding of Nelson's niece Kitty Bolton (daughter of Susanna) and her cousin Captain Sir William Bolton (Nelson's sister Susanna's husband's brother's son) at 23 Piccadilly on 18 May 1803, 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). The marriage was witnessed by Charlotte Mary Nelson (the daughter of Nelson's brother William) and Emma Hartley (Emma's daughter Emma Carew).

Nelson at sea again

Dido in Despair (caricature published on 6 February 1801). This James Gillray print (among many others) satirizes the scandalous relationship between Nelson and Emma Hamilton casting them in the roles of Dido and Aeneas. Sir William can be seen sleeping in the back.

She was desperately lonely, preoccupied with attempting to turn Merton Place into the grand home Nelson desired, suffering from several ailments and frantic for his return. The child, a girl (reportedly named Emma), died about 6 weeks after her birth in early 1804, and Horatia became ill at her home with Mrs Gibson on Titchfield Street. Emma kept the infant's death a secret from the press (her burial is unrecorded), kept her deep grief from Nelson's family and found it increasingly difficult to cope alone. She reportedly distracted herself by gambling, and succumbed to binges of heavy drinking and eating and spending lavishly.

Emma received several marriage proposals during 1804, all wealthy men, but she was still in love with Nelson and believed that he would become wealthy with prize money and leave her rich in his will, and she refused them all. She continued to entertain and help Nelson's relatives, especially William and Sarah's "obstreperous son Horace" and their daughter Charlotte, who was referred to as Emma's "foster daughter" in a letter. Nelson urged her to keep Horatia at Merton, and when his return seemed imminent in 1804, Emma ran up bills on furnishing and decorating Merton. Five-year-old Horatia came to live at Merton in May 1805. There were reports that she took holidays with Emma Carew.

But there still remained one problem: Fanny. As long as Fanny lived Emma could not marry Nelson. This increasingly got on Emma's nerves and on July 24, 1804, she wrote Davison:

The apoticary's widdow, the Creole with Her Heart Black as Her feind-like looking face, was never destined for a Nelson, for so noble-minded a Creature. She never loved Him for Himself. She loved Her poor dirty Escalopes [Aesculapius] if she had love, and the 2 dirty negatives made that dirty affirmative that is a disgrace to the Human Species. She then starving took in an evil hour our Hero. She made him unhappy. She disunited Him from His family. She wanted to raise up Her own vile spue at the expence and total abolation of the family which shall be immortalized for having given birth to the Saviour of His Country. When He came home, maimed, lame, and covered with Glory, She put in derision His Honnerable wounds. She raised a clamour against Him, because He had seen a more lovely, a more virtuous woman, who had served with him in a foreign country and who had her heart and senses open to His Glory, to His greatness, and His virtues. If He had lived with this daemon, the blaster of His fame and reputation, He must have fallen under it, and His Country would have lost their greatest ornament. ... No, let him live yet to gain more victory and to be blessed with his idolizing Emma.

On October 30, that same year she signed one of her letters off to Davison, "I am ever your affectionate Emma. I would say N. but I am afraid such happiness and honour is not in store for me for She will never burst."

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

Horatia Ward née Nelson

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. In spite of Nelson's status as a national hero, the instructions he left to the government to provide for Emma and Horatia were ignored; they also ignored his wishes that she should sing at his funeral.

The funeral was lavish, costing the state £14,000, but Emma was excluded. Only the men of the Bolton and Matcham family were invited, and Emma spent the day with her family and the women. She gave both families dinner and breakfast and accommodated the Boltons.

After the funeral, the begging letters began. William would not help, so everybody turned to Emma. Lord Grenville sent the codicil to Nelson's will to his solicitor with a note saying that nothing could be done; instead, the Boltons and Matchams received £10,000 each (but still left their adolescent daughters with Emma to educate), while William was awarded £100,000 to buy an estate called Trafalgar as well as £5000 for life.

Relations between William and Emma became strained, and he refused to give her the £500 pension due to her. Emma was especially hurt by Lady Charlotte's rebuff, partly because she had spent about £2000 paying for her education, clothes, presents and holidays and because she had grown fond of her.

She spent 1806 to 1808 keeping up the act, continuing to spend on parties and alterations to Merton to make it a monument to Nelson. Goods that Nelson had ordered arrived and had to be paid for. The annual annuity of £800 from Sir William's estate was not enough to pay off the debts and keep up the lifestyle, and Emma fell deeply into debt.

She moved from Clarges Street to a cheaper home at 136 Bond Street, but could not bring herself to relinquish Merton. Her brother, William, blackmailed her into giving him money, and Mrs Cadogan's sister's family, the Connors, were expecting handouts. Emma Carew came for a short summer visit in late June 1806, at which point Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh sent £500 for the benefit of mother and daughter. Emma hosted and employed James Harrison for six months to write a two-volume Life of Nelson, which made it clear that Horatia was his child. She continued to entertain at Merton, including the prince of Wales and the dukes of Sussex and Clarence, but no favours were returned by the royals.

Within three years, Emma was more than £15,000 in debt. In June 1808, Merton failed to sell at auction. She was not completely without friends; her neighbours had rallied, and Sir John Perring hosted a group of influential financiers to help organise her finances and sell Merton. It was eventually sold in April 1809. However, her lavish spending continued, and a combination of this and the steady depletion of funds due to people fleecing her meant that she remained in debt, although unbeknownst to most people. Her mother, Mrs Cadogan, died in January 1810. 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 on 21 January in public ground outside the town, with her friend Joshua Smith paying for a modest funeral at the local Catholic church. Her grave was subsequently lost due to wartime destruction, but in 1994 a dedicated group unveiled the memorial which stands today in the Parc Richelieu in her honour.

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. Horatia subsequently married the Rev. Philip Ward, had 10 children (the first of whom was named Horatio Nelson), and lived until 1881. Horatia never publicly acknowledged that she was the daughter of Emma Hamilton.

Jason M. Kelly summarized her: "In a world of aristocratic privilege and powerful men, her common birth and gender ultimately circumscribed her options".

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, and was acknowledged as Dame Emma Hamilton in official British contexts; 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

Popular biographies

• Colville, Quintin, ed. (2016). Emma Hamilton Seduction and Celebrity. Thames & Hudson. Emma Hamilton Seduction and Celebrity Archived 5 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine
• Hibbert, Christopher (1994). Nelson: A Personal History. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-201-62457-1.
• Hudson, Roger, ed. (1994). Nelson and Emma. London: Folio Society.
• Fraser, Flora (1986). Beloved Emma: The Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-78895-9.
• Warner, Oliver (1960). Emma Hamilton and Sir William. London: Chatto & Windus.
• Lofts, Norah (1978). Emma Hamilton. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. ISBN 978-0-698-10912-4.
• Russell, Jack (1972). Nelson and the Hamiltons. New York: Penguin. ISBN 067120324X.

Research studies

• Hardwick, Mollie (1969). Emma, Lady Hamilton: A Study. London: Cassell.
• Schachenmayr, Volker (1997). "Emma Lyon, the Attitude, and Goethean Performance Theory," in: New Theatre Quarterly vol. 13, pp. 3–17.
• Constantine, David (2001). Fields of Fire. A Life of Sir William Hamilton. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001. ISBN 0 297 81888 0.
• Vincent, Edgar (2003). Nelson: Love & Fame. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09797-9.
• Williams, Kate (2006). England's Mistress. The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton. London: Hutchinson, 2006 (hardcover). ISBN 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. London: Arrow Books, 2007 (paperback). ISBN 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3.
• Contogouris, Ersy (2018). Emma Hamilton and Late Eighteenth-Century European Art: Agency, Performance, and Representation. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780815374237.

Further reading

• The Volcano Lover, a novel by Susan Sontag, features Emma prominently as a partially fictionalized character.
• Celebrating Waddesdon's women blog article

External links

• Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante in the Lady Lever Art Gallery
• "Archival material relating to Emma, Lady Hamilton". UK National Archives.
• "Finding the Lost Daughter of Lady Hamilton". Article about Emma Carew by Jacqui Livesey. (Global Maritime History, 24 March 2014)
• "Dispelling the myths around Lady Emma Hamilton and Admiral Lord Nelson", article by the curator of the 2017 Emma Hamilton exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Quintin Colville. (Cheshire Life, 3 November 2016)
• Paintings of Emma Hart in the Waddesdon Manor collection