Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English Author and Poet

Lady Mary in Turkish dress. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689 - August 21, 1762) was an English aristocrat, letter writer and poet. Lady Mary is today chiefly remembered for her travels to the Ottoman Empire, as wife to the British ambassador to Turkey. The story of this voyage and of her observations of Eastern life is told in Letters from Turkey. During her visit she was charmed by the beauty and hospitality of the Ottoman women she encountered. She wrote about misconceptions previous travelers, specifically male travelers, had recorded about the religion, traditions and the treatment of women in the Ottoman Empire. Her personal interactions with Ottoman women enabled her to provide, in her view, a more accurate account of Turkish women, their dress, habits, traditions, limitations and liberties. A number of Lady Mary's poems and essays were printed in her lifetime, either without or with her permission, in newspapers, in miscellanies, and independently. Aside from her writing, Lady Mary is also known for introducing and advocating for smallpox inoculation to Britain after her return from Turkey. Despite the availability of her work in print and the revival efforts of feminist scholars, the complexity and brilliance of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's extensive body of work has not yet been recognized to the fullest. Lithograph by A. Deveria after Christian Friedrich Zincke, undated

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

1689 1762 Account Accurate Advocating Aristocrat Aside Availability Brilliance Charmed Chiefly Complexity Despite Deveria Efforts Either Enabled Encountered Essays Extensive Feminist Fullest Habits Hospitality Independently Inoculation Interactions Introducing Liberties Lifetime Limitations Misconceptions Montagu Montagus Newspapers Observations Permission Poems Previous Provide Recognized Recorded Remembered Revival Scholars Smallpox Specifically Told Traditions Travelers Wortley Wrote

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