We selected The Lakes of Killarney in typical curator’s fashion, its aesthetic and atmosphere simply felt right for the project. Including a work by the Porter sisters also felt fitting, given how much we’ve learned about their contributions to the period’s literature. While we haven’t read their novels, their role as writers of the time made their inclusion a natural choice.

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As with all our book advertisements, we designed a front-page layout inspired by the original first edition title page. The image of a woman adrift on a lake, with a mansion and ornamental crenellations in the background, is both poetic and mysterious. The lake feels uninviting, and we can’t help but hope she doesn’t upset her oarless rowboat.

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Jane and Anna Maria Porter (Author of The Lakes of Killarney)  published 27 novels between them, beginning in 1803. Hugely popular in their time, their work predated—and arguably shaped—the historical fiction genre later attributed to Sir Walter Scott. Napoleon banned their books in France. Today, their fame has faded, but their influence lingers in the shadows of Regency literary culture.