Elizabeth (Barrett Moulton) Barrett Browning

born March 6, 1806, died June 29, 1859

Immortalized by the 1930 play The Barrets of Wimpole Street, many remember
Elizabeth Barrett Browning only as the semi-tragic wife of poet Robert 
Browning who wrote sentimental and romantic sonnets about their love. In 
reality, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was an accomplished and popular poet in 
her own right. In her life, she was considered an important author, and was 
even considered for the post of Poet Laureate after Wordsworth's death in 
1850. In addition to her skill as a poet, she was also a student and 
translator of Greek, an abolitionist, an early feminist, and active in 
Italian politics. Far from the usual picture of a weak and sickly romantic 
writer of verse, Barrett Browning wrote intensely political poems ("Runaway 
Slave at Pilgrim's Point", "Napoleon III in Italy", and "A Curse for a 
Nation" among them) in addition to her romantic lyrics. It was in 1845 that 
she received a letter from a struggling young poet named Robert Browning. In 
the letter, Browning expressed his regard for her work as well as his love 
for the poet. The two later eloped, and developed a deep emotional and 
intellectual bond that influenced and nurtured both Browning and Barrett 
Browning's work. Barrett Browning's works include the books The Seraphim and 
Other Poems (1838), Poems of 1844, Poems of 1850, Sonnets from the Portuguese 
(1850), Casa Guidi Windows (1851), Aurora Leigh (1856), Poems Before Congress 
(1860), the posthumously printed work Last Poems (1862), and many Greek 
translations.