Dame Emma Hamilton, known upon moving to London as Emma Hart, and upon marriage as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men, culminating in the naval hero Lord Nelson, and was the favourite model and muse of the portraitist George Romney.
Portrait as a girl (aged seventeen) by George Romney, c. 1782
Emma as Circe, at Waddesdon Manor. This is the first portrait in which Romney painted Emma in this guise, from July to August 1782.
Emma as Circe, by George Romney, 1782
Emma by George Romney in Rothschild collection, MFA Boston c.1784
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history. His victory on 21 October 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar led to British naval supremacy for over another century and beyond.
Portrait of Nelson by L. F. Abbott (1799)
The site of the rectory in Burnham Thorpe where Nelson was born in 1758
Captain Horatio Nelson, painted by John Francis Rigaud in 1781, with Fort San Juan—the scene of his most notable achievement up to that point—in the background. The painting itself was begun and nearly finished prior to the battle, when Nelson held the rank of lieutenant; when Nelson returned, the artist added the new captain's gold-braided sleeves.
Nelson's Column – Death of Nelson at Trafalgar panel, with George Ryan standing on the left-hand edge, holding a rifle
