Anne Langton
Anne Langton was a notable nineteenth-century artist and writer born in 1804 in Yorkshire, England, into an aristocratic family. Her early life involved extensive travel across Europe, where she received private art lessons and mingled with prominent literary figures. However, the family experienced a significant shift in fortune in 1815 when financial troubles led to the loss of their home and servants, forcing Langton to take on domestic responsibilities at a young age. Despite these challenges, she nurtured her artistic talents and began selling her small paintings on ivory to support her family.
In 1836, seeking a new start, Langton's family moved to Upper Canada to join her brother John, who had settled there. Their attempts to maintain an aristocratic lifestyle amidst the hardships of the Canadian frontier posed significant challenges, including the inability to secure domestic help. Langton often expressed frustrations about her domestic duties limiting her artistic pursuits. Nevertheless, she documented her observations of the Canadian landscape and settlers through her art. After experiencing personal tragedies, including the death of her sister-in-law, Langton dedicated her later years to helping raise her brother's children and continued to paint until her death in Toronto in 1893. Her legacy includes valuable visual records of early Canadian settlements.
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Anne Langton
Nonfiction Writer
- Born: June 24, 1804
- Birthplace: Yorkshire, England
- Died: May 10, 1893
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Anne Langton, a nineteenth century artist and writer, was born into aristocracy in Yorkshire, England, in 1804, the daughter of Thomas and Ellen Langton. When Langton was still an infant, her family relocated to Lancashire, England, where she and her two brothers were raised. Langton was educated at home by private tutors. As a child, she traveled with her family throughout Europe. On these trips abroad, her parents arranged for private art lessons from master artists as well as exposure to prominent literary figures.
Langton experienced a privileged childhood complete with personal servants. However, this all ended in 1815, when her father’s business investments failed. The Langtons lost their home and servants. At the age of sixteen, Langton was forced to take on most of the household duties. Despite her drastic lifestyle change, Langton continued to develop her artistic skills. She even began painting scenes on small pieces of ivory and selling them to friends and family in order to make extra money.
In 1833, Langton’s brother, John, graduated from Cambridge University in England and moved to Upper Canada. In 1836, after more financial losses, Langton’s family decided to leave England and join John Langton in the Canadian frontier. Langton and her family settled on her brother’s farm on Sturgeon Lake in Ontario, Canada. However, Langton’s family did not adjust well to the primitiveness of the Canadian frontier. In order to feel more comfortable, they shipped all of their possessions, including furniture, from England to their new settlement in Canada. These items allowed them to live what appeared to be an aristocratic lifestyle but set them apart from many of their frontier neighbors.
Despite their perceived social status, the Langtons could not secure enough servants to free themselves from domestic labor. In her correspondence to friends in England, Langton often complained that her domestic labors did not allow sufficient time to pursue her passion for art and literature. However, she did find enough time to take frequent excursions throughout the Canadian countryside where she chronicled the scenery and people of the Canadian settlements.
In 1846, an epidemic struck the settlers at Sturgeon Lake and the Langtons retreated to Peterborough, Ontario, until the illness passed. During this epidemic, Langton’s sister-in-law died, leaving John Langton to raise seven children alone. In 1850, Langton moved in with her brother in order to help raise his family. Langton never married.
In her later years, Langton continued to paint. She was best known for the visual recordings she painted of settlements throughout Canada. Langton died in Toronto in 1893, at the age of eighty-eight.