Published 11th November 2022 by Pen and Sword Books.
From the cover of the book:
‘Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it, not a penny was there in it, only ribbon round it.’Generations of children have grown up knowing Kitty Fisher from the nursery rhyme, but who was she? Remembered as an eighteenth-century ‘celebrated’ courtesan and style icon, it is surprising to learn that Kitty’s career in the upper echelons of London’s sex industry was brief.
For someone of her profession, Kitty had one great flaw: she fell in love too easily. Kitty Fisher managed her public relations and controlled her image with care. In a time when women’s choices were limited, she navigated her way to fame and fortune. Hers was a life filled equally with happiness and tragedy, one which left such an impact that the fascinating Kitty Fisher’s name still resonates today. She was the Georgian era’s most famous – and infamous – celebrity.
This is more than just a biography of Kitty Fisher’s short, scandalous and action-packed life. It is also a social history of the period looking not just at Kitty but also the women who were her contemporaries, as well as the men who were drawn to their sides… and into their beds. In this meticulously researched, lively and enjoyable book we discover the real woman at the heart of Kitty Fisher’s enduring myth and legend.
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Kitty Fisher was a celebrated courtesan from the eighteenth century, immortalised in the nursery rhyme Lucy Locket, with the satirical line ‘Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it, not a penny was there in it, only ribbon round it.’ . In this book, historian Joanne Major looks beyond the stories of Kitty's notoriety, teasing out well researched details about her life to paint a nuanced picture of the woman behind the high class sex worker reputation.
Kitty was born Catherine Maria Fischer in June 1741 into a respectable family, and was doted upon by her German immigrant, silver chaser father. She was brought up to aspire to finer things, and her personal charms were enhanced by the education her parents deemed essential for her future success. By the age of fifteen, Kitty was working as a milliner - a trade which many looked upon as a thinly veiled cover for prostitution, but although she would have been well aware of the life of the Covent Garden Ladies who plied their trade near her home, catching a wealthy husband was the aim.
Kitty's head was turned by a handsome prospect, and she fell in love with Anthony Martin, an officer in the Coldstream Guards. Martin pursuaded Kitty away from the safety of her family home, but the promised marriage failed to materialise, although Kitty adopted the title Mrs Martin (which she often used in the years that followed). When she was eventually abandoned, she was smart enough to realise that if she was to be consigned to the ranks of 'fallen women' then it would be on her own terms - among the upper echelons of London society.
Major goes on to detail Kitty's career as a highly prized courtesan, exploring how she navigated her way through the pitfalls of her profession to surround herself with the trappings of wealth. Major paints a picture of a young woman who knew exactly how to exploit the men who vied for her favour, and how to tightly control her image to maintain her allure, but she also takes great pains to show you that Kitty was also unlike many of the other women who lived the competitive life of the courtesan. The Kitty we got to know is a clever, cultured and complex woman, albeit with a fiery streak. Major shows that Kitty also had vulnerabilities, and how her desire to find true love turned her from the life she had embarked upon after only a few short years - even if her reputation lingered long after she had retired from the public gaze.
Much more than simply being the story of Kitty's tragically short life, this book delves deliciously into the social history of the age in which she lived too. Major brings in lashings of information about the society in which Kitty resided, including about the women who were her friends and rivals, both within the sex industry and among the wives and of her conquests. Major also takes a good hard look at the rakes and lotharios of the cream of society who thought nothing of paying Kitty and her compatriots for their favours - and of dropping them like hot cakes at the first sign of trouble, consigning them to an unknown fate.
Kitty leaps from the page as a fully formed character, and the tragedy of her life, and the lives of women like her, whose choices were limited in a world ruled by men, makes this a surprisingly emotional book to consume. The way Major contrasts and compares Kitty's life and times with what we think of as 'celebrity' in this modern age is intriguing too. I was particularly struck by the sections that detail Kitty's status as muse to the famous English painter Joshua Reynolds and his contemporaries. The information about how engravings were produced in huge numbers from paintings of Kitty to fulfil the demand for images of her amongst the masses; how scandalous stories about her (often fictional) antics were circulated in print; and how her style was slavishly emulated by those who wanted a little bit of her fame is fascinating. It is all so relatable for the modern age!
Kitty's life story would make an excellent drama series, and I devoured this engrossing book in a single sitting. It is so engaging, and is packed with historical detail. Highly recommended for those interested in the hidden lives of women in history.
Kitty Fisher is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook.
Thank you to Pen and Sword Books for sending me a hardback copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this blog tour.
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