A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Jameson, Anna
JAMESON, ANNA,
Is one of the most gifted and accomplished of the living female writers of Great Britain. Her father, Mr. Murphy, was an Irish gentleman of high repute as an artist, and held the office of Painter in Ordinary to her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte. By her order he undertook to paint the "Windsor Beauties," so called; but before these were completed, the sudden death of the princess put a stop to the plan. Mr. Murphy lost his place; and his pictures, from which he had anticipated both fame and fortune, were left on his hands, without any remuneration. It was to aid the sale of these portraits, when engraved and published, that his daughter, then Mrs. Jameson, wrote the illustrative memoirs which form her work, entitled "The Beauties of the Court of King Charles the Second," published in London, in 1833. Prior to this, however, Mrs. Jameson had become known as a, graceful writer and accomplished critic on the Beautiful in Art, as well as a spirited delineator of Life. Her first work was the "Diary of an Ennuyee," published in London, in 1825, about two years after her marriage with Captain Jameson, an officer in the British army. Of this marriage—union it has never been—we will only say here, that it seems to have exercised an unfortunate influence over the mind of Mrs. Jameson, which is greatly to be regretted, because it mars, in a degree, all her works; but especially her latter ones, by fettering the noblest aspirations of her genius, instinctively feminine, and therefore only capable of feeling the full compass of its powers when devoted to the True and the Good. We shall advert to this again. The "Diary of an Ennuyee" was published anonymously; it depicted an enthusiastic, poetic, broken-hearted young lady, on her travels abroad; much space is here given to descriptions of works of art at Rome, and other Italian cities. This, on the whole, is Mrs. Jameson's most popular and captivating work; it appeals warmly to the sensibilities of the young of her own sex: its sketches of adventures, characters, and pictures, are racy and fresh; and the sympathy with the secret sorrows of the writer is ingeniously kept alive to the end. Her second work was "The Lives of the Poets," published in two volumes, in 1829; which was followed by "Memoirs of Celebrated Female Sovereigns," also in two volumes.
In 1832, appeared "Characteristics of Women, Moral, Poetical, and Historical;" in many respects this is the best and most finished production of Mrs. Jameson's genius; the following year came out her "Beauties of the Court of Charles the Second."
Mrs. Jameson next visited America, going directly from New York to Toronto, Upper Canada, where she passed the winter. Her husband had been stationed for many years in Canada; she had not seen him since her marriage; it has been said that they parted at the altar; but the painful circumstance that they only met as acquaintances, not even as friends, was too well known to require an apology for stating it here. "Winter Studies and Summer Rambles," is the title of the work published in 1838, in which Mrs. Jameson records her observations on Canada and the United States, as far as she travelled.
In 1840, she produced a translation of the dramas of the Princess Amelia of Saxony, under the title of "Pictures of the Social Life of Germany;" and in 1842, "A Handbook to the Public Galleries of Art in and near London;" after this, in 1844, came a second work of the same nature, entitled "A Companion to the Private Galleries of Art in London;" and shortly afterwards a series of biographical notices of the early Italian painters from Cimabue to Bassano. In 1846, this indefatigable, accomplished, and versatile author gave to the world a volume of "Memoirs and Essays," being a series of papers chiefly on the fine arts and artists; and in 1848, appeared the first portion of a most important and laborious work illustrative of "Sacred and Legendary Art;" this comprised legends of scriptural characters, and of those who lived, or were supposed to have done so, in the early ages of Christianity. The second portion was entitled "Legends of the Monastic Orders;" and the third "Legends of the Madonna;" the former appeared in 1850, and the latter in 1852. These volumes throw much light upon the religious ideas of the middle ages; they are full of curious and interesting lore, and are richly illustrated by sketches and etchings copied from ancient missals and other scarce books, by the author. "A Common-place Book of Thoughts, Memories, and Fancies, Original and Selected," was Mrs. Jameson's next contribution to literature; it is divided into two parts—one on "Ethics and Characters," and the other on "Literature and Art;" and exhibits to great advantage the fine taste, extensive reading, and indefatigable industry of its compiler, and, to some extent, author.
On the 14th. of February, 1855, Mrs. Jameson delivered a lecture on works of mercy and benevolence to a female audience, which was afterwards published under the title of "Sisters of Charity Abroad and at Home;" it is a small book, but few will deny its importance. Reading this, and the other works of the author, we may well say in the words of a recent biographer of this highly-talented lady:—"A spirit of intense sympathy with her own sex does indeed run, like a golden vein, through the writings of Mrs. Jameson, whatever be their subject or aim; and her reverence for the good and great—her pity for the erring among them—her honest joy at their successes and regret for their failures, characterize her not less admirably as a woman, than do the brilliant qualities of her enlightened and elevated mind as an author."
Mrs. Jameson has an earnest and loving admiration for genius, a discriminating sense of the benefits it confers upon the world, and an unselfish eagerness to point out its merits and services. All this is seen in her very pleasing descriptions of the many celebrated men and women she had encountered. She has a deep sense of the dignity of her own sex; she seeks to elevate woman, and many of her reflections on this subject are wise and salutary. We differ from her views in some material points, but we believe her sincerely devoted to what she considers the way of improvement. Of her extraordinary talents there can be no doubt.