James Henry Lynch-Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby - The Ladies of Llangollen - 1880's
Both Sarah and Eleanor's families lived in Ireland and it was here that the two women formed a strong emotional bond and attachment that would endure for the rest of their lives. Eleanor was 16 years older than Sarah. In 1778, when Sarah was 23 and Eleanor 39, the two women secretly fled together, crossing the Irish Sea to set up home in North Wales, leaving their privileged lives behind them. Although the Ladies of Llangollen's fame was extraordinary, romantic female friendships were common in 18th-century Europe. Women often spent a great deal of time in each other's company and developed strong, intense relationships. Female friends frequently wrote to one another using passionate, romantic language that can suggest a sexual relationship to modern readers. Some of the relationships reflected in correspondence were no doubt sexual, others may simply have reflected the conventions of friendship. It's impossible to find conclusive proof whether the relationship between Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby was sexual or not, but there's abundant evidence that it was loving - British Museum
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Photo credit: © steeve-x-art / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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