= Elizabeth_Hawkins-Whitshed =

======================================================================
= Elizabeth_Hawkins-Whitshed =
======================================================================

Introduction
======================================================================
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed (26 June 1860 - 27 July 1934), (known after
her third marriage as Mrs Aubrey Le Blond and Lizzie Le Blond), was an
Irish mountaineering pioneer, author, and photographer celebrated for
documenting alpine landscapes. At a time when female participation in
mountaineering was rare, she achieved prominence for her ascents and
distinctive attire, often photographed climbing in long skirts.

Relocating to Switzerland, Hawkins-Whitshed began climbing during the
1882-1883 season, later gaining recognition for her pioneering ascents
and photographic work. In 1907, she played a leading role in founding
the Ladies' Alpine Club, serving as its inaugural president. Over her
career, she authored seven books on mountaineering and achieved 20
first ascents--summiting peaks previously unclimbed.

Her legacy endures as a trailblazer who defied gender norms in alpine
exploration while making a significant contribution to the
documentation of mountain geography through writing and photography.

Early life
======================================================================
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed was born in Dublin on 26 June 1860 into an
upper-class Anglo-Irish family. She was the daughter of Anne Alicia
('née' Handcock) (1837-1908) and Captain Vincent Hawkins-Whitshed
(1837-1871) (see Hawkins-Whitshed baronets). Raised at Killincarrick
House, Greystones, County Wicklow, in the south-east of Ireland, her
father owned extensive lands across Dublin, Meath and Wicklow. Through
her great-grandmother, she was connected to the aristocratic Bentinck
family, linking her to the Dukes of Portland.

Her childhood in the Irish countryside was reportedly idyllic, marked
by a close bond with her mother. However, her father's death in 1871
left the eleven-year-old Elizabeth heir to Killincarrick House and
nearly 2,000 acres of land. As she was still a minor, the estate was
placed under the guardianship of the Lord Chancellor.

Marriages and family
======================
At eighteen, Elizabeth entered London society and married her first
husband, Captain Frederick Burnaby (1842-1885), a British Army
intelligence officer and adventurer, in 1879. Their son, Harry
Burnaby, was born in 1880. The couple largely lived apart thereafter
until Burnaby's death during the Battle of Abu Klea in Sudan on 17
January 1885. During this period, Elizabeth sought treatment abroad
for chronic respiratory issues.

Mountaineering and photography
================================
In 1881, Elizabeth relocated to Switzerland, where she began climbing
during the 1882-1883 season. She gained renown for ascending peaks in
long skirts, a practice documented in widely circulated photographs. A
pivotal figure in alpine exploration, she achieved 20 first
ascents--summiting previously unclimbed peaks--and authored seven
mountaineering books. In 1907, she co-founded the Ladies' Alpine Club,
serving as its inaugural president.

Filmmaking career
===================
Under the name Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond (after her third marriage), she
produced at least ten films in Switzerland's Engadine Valley,
capturing alpine sports such as ice hockey in St. Moritz and
tobogganing on the Cresta Run. Regarded as one of the world's earliest
female filmmakers, alongside Alice Guy-Blaché and Laura Bayley, her
work was showcased by James Williamson at Hove Town Hall in November
1900 and included in his 1902 catalogue. Her films earned praise from
cinema pioneer Cecil Hepworth and author E. F. Benson.

Personal life
======================================================================
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed married three times: first, in 1879, to
British Army officer Frederick Burnaby (1842-1885); second, in 1886,
to John Frederick Main (d. 1892 in North America); and third, in 1900,
to Francis Bernard Aubrey Le Blond. From her first marriage, she had a
son, Harry Burnaby, born in 1880. Despite her subsequent marriages,
the lands in Greystones, County Wicklow, which she inherited from her
father prior to wedlock, retained the name Burnaby Estate.

Developed in the early 20th century, the estate--locally known as The
Burnaby--included streets such as Burnaby Road, Somerby Road, Whitshed
Road, St. Vincent's Road, Portland Road, and Hawkins Lane, reflecting
familial and aristocratic connections. Hawkins-Whitshed published her
mountaineering writings under her marital surnames: Mrs. Fred Burnaby,
Mrs. Main, and Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond.

She authored the autobiography 'Day In, Day Out' (1928), chronicling
her life and adventures. Hawkins-Whitshed died on 27 July 1934 and was
buried at Brompton Cemetery in London.

Authorship
======================================================================
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed authored works under both her maiden name,
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed, and her later married name, Mrs. Aubrey Le
Blond. She also employed the pseudonym Jean Ville for select
publications. While she found fulfilment in writing, her greatest
passion lay in photography, a craft she practised avidly, often seen
with her camera slung over her shoulder during expeditions.

Her literary career began in 1883 with 'The High Alps in Winter', a
work chronicling alpine mountaineering experiences that preceded a
series of books and articles on the subject. Later, she ventured into
fiction, travelogues, and family history, though her talent for
documenting mountain landscapes remained central to her legacy.

Among her pursuits in mountaineering, photography, and writing,
Hawkins-Whitshed produced 69 distinct works, extant in 220
publications across three languages, with 2,228 library holdings
recorded worldwide.

Mountaineering
======================================================================
Abandoning the conventional London lifestyle of the mid-1880s,
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed relocated to Chamonix, where her inaugural
climb saw her ascend two-thirds of Mont Blanc. Although now known for
photographs depicting her climbing in long skirts, she discreetly
changed into practical attire when out of public view to avoid social
censure. The interior of her basecamp tents - often furnished with
fine clothing, a comfortable bed, drapes, and an elaborate toiletry
setup - reflected her aristocratic background. Despite declining
health due to chronic lung issues, her determination to climb remained
undiminished. Her expeditions abroad doubled as quests for medical
remedies, a pursuit that galvanised her resolve.

In 1881, she settled in Switzerland, the epicentre of European
mountaineering. Over two decades, Hawkins-Whitshed summited Mont Blanc
twice and conquered numerous challenging Swiss peaks. Later, she
shifted her focus to Lapland and the Norwegian Arctic, where six
consecutive summers of exploration shed light on uncharted regions.
This phase yielded over 100 ascents, including 20 first ascents. Her
expeditions leveraged her wealth and status: she travelled with
personal staff, and the perilous conditions were starkly illustrated
when her maid required rescue from an ice-encased carriage during one
journey.

In 1907, Hawkins-Whitshed co-founded the Ladies' Alpine Club, serving
as its inaugural president. Her achievements demonstrated
extraordinary resilience, inspiring generations of women to challenge
gendered norms in mountaineering and adventure sports.

Photography
======================================================================
From the outset of her climbing career, Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed
documented her expeditions with a camera, capturing unprecedented
alpine vistas. She became an early innovator in snow photography,
pioneering techniques to record glacial landscapes. Elected to the
Photographic Society of Great Britain (later Royal Photographic
Society) in 1886, she exhibited regularly at its annual exhibitions
from 1885 to 1903 under the names Jean Ville, Mrs. Main, and Mrs.
Aubrey Le Blond.

Hawkins-Whitshed produced thousands of photographs, approximately 400
of which illustrated publications such as 'Water, its Origin and Use'
by William Coles Finch. She developed and printed her own work, often
in challenging field conditions, distributing prints as charitable
fundraisers, personal gifts, or prizes at mountaineering events. Over
2,000 of her photographs (1886-1903), many annotated with unpublished
captions, are held by the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum in
Chanute, Kansas, USA.

Her legacy was celebrated in a 2003 exhibition at Pontresina Alpine
Museum, Switzerland. In 2011, the Greystones Historical Society
donated a curated volume of her work to Greystones Library during
Ireland's National Heritage Week. Following the 2013 donation of her
archives to the Safari Museum, a permanent exhibition, 'Queen of the
Mountain', opened in November 2023, showcasing her photography and
writings.

Selected works
======================================================================
*'The High Alps in Winter, or Mountaineering in Search of Health'
(1883)
*'Mountaineering in the Land of the Midnight Sun'
*'Adventures on the Roof of the World'
*'True Tales of Mountain Adventure: For Non-Climbers Young and Old'
*'My Home in the Alps'
*'High Life of Towers and Silence'
*'Charlotte Sophie, Countess Bentinck: Her Life and Times, 1715-1800'
*'The Old Gardens of Italy: How to Visit Them'
*'Day In, Day Out' (1928)

See also
======================================================================
*Augusta Caroline Crofton

Sources
======================================================================
* [http://pontresina.ch/museumalpin/ Brief biography of "Miss Main"] -
in German
*
[http://www.glendalough.connect.ie/pages/articles/history/pages/greystones2.html
History of Greystones in County Wicklow] - with information on the
Burnaby Estate and the Hawkins-Whitshed family
*
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130113035008/http://www.angelfire.com/in/heinbruins/Bentinck.html
Descendants of Willem Bentinck and Charlotte Sophie of Aldenburg] by
Hein Bruins - source for family information
*Peter H. Hansen, ‘Le Blond, Elizabeth Alice Frances (1860-1934)’,
[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/52565 Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography], Oxford University Press, September 2004; online
edn, October 2006
* [https://www.countywicklowheritage.org/page_id__27_path__0p3.aspx
Raughter, R. (2012). 'A Victorian Lady in the High Alps, Elizabeth
Hawkins-Witshed of Killincarrick'.]
* Murtagh P. (2013) Victorian-era Women photographers celebrated
* MacLachlan, J. M. (2004). 'Peak performances: Cultural and
autobiographical constructions of the Victorian female mountaineer'
(Order No. NQ90225). Available from ProQuest Dissertations &
Theses A&I. (305057898). Retrieved from
* [https://www.countywicklowheritage.org/page_id__27_path__0p3.aspx
Raughter, R. (2012). 'A Victorian Lady in the High Alps, Elizabeth
Hawkins-Witshed of Killincarrick'. Our Wicklow Heritage, Greystones
Archaeological and Historical Society. Retrieved from]
* Le, E. A. F. H. W., & Le Blond, M. A. (1883). 'The High alps in
Winter: Or, Mountaineering in Search of Health'. S. Low, Marston,
Searle, & Rivington
* Siggins, L. (2013, Dec 09). "An Irishwoman's diary". 'The Irish
Times' Retrieved from
* Countywicklowheritage.org. (2017). 'A Victorian Lady in the High
Alps | Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed of Killincarrick '| People | County
Wicklow Heritage.

License
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Hawkins-Whitshed