Rational Creatures on the wall

While Austen’s novels centre on romantic aspirations, turning our focus toward the fashionable society of her time, here we juxtapose Almack’s patronesses—three influential women presiding over society’s fripperies—with five women whose contributions led to discovery and consequence during and beyond the Regency period.

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• Emily Brontë: Author of the literary classic Wuthering Heights.

• Harriet Martineau: Calling her "the first woman journalist" hardly does justice to her extraordinary achievements. Follow the links to discover more about this remarkable figure. (Fun fact: Charlotte, Princess of Wales, is Martineau’s great-great-great-great-great-grandniece.)

• Lady Hester Stanhope: The Regency era’s answer to Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones.

• Mary Anning: The world’s most famous fossil hunter.

• Ada Lovelace: The world’s first computer programmer.