“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts,”
William Shakespeare
Amy Lyon, 15 and without family support, thought only of survival. Even so, her life unfolded seamlessly, with all the players coming together for a purpose, one person leading to another and another, each with ascending import. First, it was Sir Harry Featherstonhaugh who hired her for several months as hostess and entertainer at a lengthy retreat at his Uppark country estate. There, she became friends with Sir Harry’s guest, Charles Greville, second son of the Earl of Warwick and MP for Warwick, in the Midlands.
Sir Charles was thirty-two, unmarried, rather plain in appearance, and had limited financial resources. Fascinated by Emma’s effervescent charm, it was not long before he fell in love with her. Within a few short months, she came to live with him as Mrs. Emma Hart. Theirs was a complex relationship. Sir Charles took on the task of turning Emma into a respectable lady; in return, Emma dressed modestly, ate slimming foods, and dutifully followed his lead without protest.
George Romney, the most fashionable artist of the day, met Emma in 1782. It all began when Sir Charles commissioned George Romney to paint his portrait. Sir Charles, ever looking for ways to augment his meagre income, instigated a brilliant plan to make money. Emma would model for George Romney and he would receive a cut of any sale proceeds.
Emma was a natural, thanks to her training in dance and modelling as one of Graham’s “Goddesses of Health.” George Romney was enchanted by Emma’s unequaled talent to move and express moods. Her flamboyant dress and various poses allowed her to reinvent herself into many characters. Emma’s spontaneity was infectious. She would sing, dance and talk, all through the sessions. Artist and model came to trust and rely on each other unreservedly. Their fame spread. With every painting sold, demand grew exponentially. Within one year, Emma was the most sought after model in London.
George Romney had found his muse and his enduring obsession. For the rest of his life, Emma pervaded his paintings and sketches. She was simply irreplaceable.
“O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend, The brightest heaven of invention…”
William Shakespeare, Henry V
Lady Budd 
I knew he loved her!
How frightened she must have been inside – and how ruthless it may have made her. This is a complex story.
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Yes it was. I think that Emma created complexity wherever she went. She was only 17 when she met Romney. Kate Williams in the book “England’s Mistress – The infamous Life of Emma Hamilton” noted that “Unlike sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, he (Romney)did not believe women existed only for his own pleasure.” Romney did not want to destroy their relationship of artist/model. I believe that George Romney loved Emma for her vibrancy and grace, and perhaps for the way in which she inspired his paintings. When Emma left for Naples (stay tuned) he went into depression.
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She was lucky to have had such freedom to be herself.
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That is a very perceptive statement. Emma recognized the constraints of society, without anger or fear. She chose a different way, much like women who came after her – Colette, Anais Nin, and Coco Chanel. Emma became a fashion leader for women, many of whom clamoured to have George Romney paint them the same way that he painted Emma. When we know that we cannot fit into the status quo, then we must define our lives so that we create new beginnings.
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I am lost for words. What a story. What a beauty. Almost a fairy tale.
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And we have just begun her story. There is a lot of fairy dust in her life, intermixed with harsh realities. One thing is for certain, everywhere she went, she was a star…
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I watched the video. When I finished the words I remembered hearing were
“one of Emma’s male custodians”
Seems she had a few.
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Surprisingly, she didn’t. Greville had placed constraints on all of her movements and demanded absolute fidelity. She was allowed no visitors or any form of socialization. It has been said that Emma’s history was written by her enemies. I found the “one of Emma’s male custodians” to rather sweeping and open to interpretation.
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she was surviving…I wonder what would be said today about a woman surviving in the manner she did?
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Ah…that is a very good question. Emma was lucky; she found true love.
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I’ve known true love 🙂
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🙂 And that is the best part of living.
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Imteresting how her life “worked out”, I think, for her own good. Life does take interesting turns.
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We can never know the end of the story until it is the end. And even then, is it really the end?
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