Anne Damer

Anne Damer was born in Kent to an aristocratic family. In 1767 she married John Damer but separated from him after seven years. Her fathers secretary, the philosopher David Hume, allegedly inspired her to pursue a career as a sculptress at a time when few women did so. Among her best-known subjects are Lord Admiral Nelson and King George III. Giuseppe Ceracchi, cast her as the Muse of Sculpture in a full-length statue that graced the entrance of the British Museum for more than one hundred years. Belmour (1801) was her only novel.