Emilia Francis (née Strong), Lady Dilke

Later Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 6 portraits
Emilia Francis began writing reviews, articles, and notes on art for the periodical press from the mid-1860s, and was the salaried art editor of The Academy from 1873 to 1883. She published her first book, The Renaissance of Art in France, in 1879 and went on to publish a series of important studies of French art. At the same time as she was building a formidable reputation as a historian and critic of art, she was active in the women's trade union movement. Her commitment to social reform, and in particular to improving the working conditions of women, led to her involvement, from its inception, in the Women's Trade Union League, founded in 1874. She was its president from 1886 until her death.