Olivia Serres (1772–1834)

Researching our John Thomas Serres sketch I got diverted by the story of his wife, Olivia Serres (1772–1834): also an artist but most famous—or infamous—for being 'an imposter'. The very moniker is bizarre and intriguing but perhaps most striking is that her activites and pretensions brought down the artistic career of her husband, a power that not many women could wield at that time. Olivia claimed that she was the natural daughter of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland, brother of George III and she asked the prince for financial support. In 1821, she had herself rebaptised as the daughter of the Duke of Cumberland at Islington Church, and 'announced' her parentage in several letters to the newspapers and in pamphlets. Ultimately her efforts were unsuccessful and she was for the rest of her life in and out of debtors' prisons; but nevertheless in 1830, aged 62, she again published a pamphlet staking a claim on royalty.

Our lovely Serres sketch, a Sicilian boatman, transcends any such stigma—but surely a good story always enriches one's experience of artefacts of the past.