Agnes Stickland

A carte-de-visite portrait of Agnes Strickland (1796-1874), the author of The Lives of the Queens of England, first published in 12 volumes between 1840 and 1848.

Although she also wrote poetry and published many books for children, it is a historical writer that Agnes Strickland is best remembered. Her researches were laborious and conscientious, and she remains a useful source, but she failed to exercise the level of objectivity to which a modern historian would aspire. Some now consider her style mediocre but her writing should be really only be compared to that of her contemporaries. During her own lifetime, her works were extremely popular. Most of the historical research – and even the writing - was actually done by Agnes’s sister, Elizabeth but since Elizabeth eschewed all publicity, Agnes was put forward as author.

Two of Agnes’s other sisters were also writers, Susanna Moodie and Catherine Parr Traill, who are famous for their works about pioneer life in early Canada.

Photographed by the Southwell Brothers.