Letters to Sofia: The afterlives of Hester Thrale

Kate Chisholm

The discovery of letters from Hester Thrale to her daughter Sophia offers a fresh perspective on this pivotal figure in Samuel Johnson’s life. While Hester was often misunderstood and criticised for her second marriage, these letters reveal her deep devotion to her surviving children, her ambitions as a scholar and poet, and a determination to assert her independence amid personal tragedy and public censure. This intimate collection paints a nuanced portrait of a remarkable woman challenging 18th-century expectations. The letters are accompanied by 16 beautiful miniatures by Sophia, published here for the first time.

Kate Chisholm has written biographical essays on the Burney family for The Cambridge Companion to Frances Burney, on Mary Wollstonecraft for Mary Wollstonecraft in Context and on her family’s connection with India for The Last Bungalow: Writings from Allahabad. A former fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, she was the radio critic of the Spectator for 13 years.