Ashurst Venturi, Emilie (1820-1893) Small Archive of Letters to her Daughter. 14 autograph letters signed, 1866-1872, written from various addresses in England, all letters in Italian, some on mourning paper; [together with] one holograph envelope postmarked 1865; an 1861 report card from a school in Verona for Giuseppe Venturi; cartes-de-visites likely portraying EAV and her husband, and an unidentified portrait of a young woman which may be EAV's daughter Amelia.
Emilie Ashurst was born into a family of activists who supported a number of liberal causes, including the unification of Italy, the abolition of slavery, and repeal of several British laws designed to further oppress the poor. She also supported women's independence under the law and served on the executive committee for the reform of married women's property rights. EAV published fiction, painted, and maintained friendships with important artists. She famously introduced Whistler to Thomas Carlyle.
