The Great British Art Tour: we all owe this woman our lives
With public art collections closed we are bringing the art to you, exploring highlights and hidden gems from across the country in partnership with Art UK. Today’s pick: Sheffield’s Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Ahead of her time ... Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, c1718, by Jonathan Richardson the elder Photograph: Museums Sheffield
Ahead of her time ... Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, c1718, by Jonathan Richardson the elder Photograph: Museums Sheffield
SianBrown,headofCollections,MuseumsSheffield
Fri 22 Jan 2021 01.00 EST
Last modified on Fri 22 Jan 2021 11.59 EST
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was a writer, traveller and medical pioneer. Born in 1689, she was a woman ahead of her time. Her 18th-century contemporary Joseph Spence described her as “…one of the most extraordinary characters in the world; … she shines like a comet; she is all irregular and always wandering…”