Isabella Blagden
Isabella Blagden was a British writer and expatriate born around 1816, whose early life remains largely shrouded in mystery. Speculation surrounds her parentage, suggesting she may have been the illegitimate daughter of a British officer and an Indian mother, a notion supported by her references to a lonely childhood in her writings. By the early 1850s, Blagden had established herself in Florence, Italy, where her hospitality and nurturing nature allowed her to integrate into the British expatriate community. She hosted notable figures such as Louisa Alexander and Frances Power Cobbe at her residences, contributing to the vibrant artistic atmosphere of the time.
Blagden formed a close friendship with poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, taking on a caregiving role during Elizabeth's final illness and later corresponding with Robert through monthly letters after Elizabeth's death. Although primarily based in Florence, she frequently traveled to Rome and visited England biennially, maintaining her ties with the Brownings. An accomplished writer, Blagden published poetry and five novels primarily focused on Italian culture, contributing to English literary journals during the 1860s. Her collected poems were published posthumously in 1873, solidifying her place in literary history.
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Subject Terms
Isabella Blagden
Writer
- Born: 1816
- Birthplace: East Indies
- Died: January 20, 1873
Biography
Born around 1816, little is known about Isabella Blagden’s parents or her childhood. The lack of information and her dark complexion have led to speculation that she was the illegitimate daughter of a British officer and an Indian mother. In her writings (particularly in her “Orphanage”) she alludes to a lonely childhood, lending credence to the speculation about her past.
At any rate, Blagden appeared in Florence, Italy, at the beginning of the 1850’s. Because of her education, hospitality, and caring nature, she established herself among the Florentine Inglese, as the British expatriates were called. She first resided at the Villa Montier, then she moved to the Villa Brichieri on the hill of Bellosguardo, where the literary British lived. Since she was willing to share her accommodations with other expatriates, she was able to live relatively inexpensively. Among her “guests” were Louisa Alexander, Harriet Hosmer, Frances Power Cobbe, Theodosia Trollope, and Annette Bracken, women who were noted for their talents, their independence, and their eccentricity. By 1853, Blagden was on first-name terms with Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, major English poets with whom she remained life-long friends.
In 1861, when Elizabeth Barrett Browning was experiencing her last illness, Blagden acted as nurse and took Pen, the Brownings’ child, from Casa Guidi to her home at Villa Brichieri to care for him. Blagden then accompanied Pen and Robert Browning to Paris, where the Brownings continued on to England and she returned to Florence. Blagden and Robert Browning began their monthly exchange of letters after his wife’s death, and the letters (since published as Dearest Isa: Robert Browning’s Letters to Isabella Blagden) probably account for Blagden’s place in English literary history.
Although her primary residence was in Florence, Blagden often traveled to Rome. After 1961, she visited England every two or three years, usually at places near Robert Browning (her last English trip was in 1872). She was also a fairly successful writer. During the 1860’s she wrote poetry for English journals such as Cornhill Magazine and Once in a Week, as well as penning five lengthy novels. For the most part, her novels, poetry, and essays, aside from some poems about the English seascape, were about Italian culture: art, landscapes, politics, people, works of art, and individual artists. Her collected poems were published posthumously in 1873.