Ethel Brilliana Tweedie (1862–1940)
Author of Through Finland in Carts
About the Author
Works by Ethel Brilliana Tweedie
Mexico as I saw it 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Tweedie, Ethel Brilliana
- Other names
- Tweedie, Ethel Brilliana Harley
Tweedie, Mrs. Alec
Harley, Ethel B.
Harley, Ethel Brilliana - Birthdate
- 1862-01-01
- Date of death
- 1940-04-15
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Queen's College, London
- Occupations
- travel writer
photographer
painter
biographer
women's rights activist - Awards and honors
- Royal Geographical Society (Fellow)
- Short biography
- Ethel Brilliana Harley Tweedie was born in London. She was named after a 17th-century relative, Brilliana Lady Harley, who defended her home, Brampton Bryan Castle, against a siege by Royalist troops. Ethel was educated at Queen's College, London, and in Germany. In 1886, she visited Iceland on vacation with her brother Vaughan, her future husband Alexander (Alec) Leslie Tweedie -- whom she married in 1887 -- and three others. She kept a journal of her travels and published it afterwards as her first book, A Girl's Ride in Iceland (1895). After a visit to Norway two years later, she published her second book A Winter Jaunt to Norway: with Accounts of Nansen, Ibsen, Bjornson, Brandes, and Many Others. Besides further travel writing, her works included a biography of her father, George Harley, F.R.S.: The Life of a London Physician (1899), some early 20th century ethnography studies, and articles and short stories published in the London popular press. She was also a photographer and a prolific painter. She published many of her sketches and paintings and had exhibitions and one-woman shows. She was an advocate of women's rights, women's suffrage, and higher education for women.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- London, England, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- London, England, UK
Members
Reviews
'Suppose we make up a party and visit Iceland?' was suggested by me to one of my friends on a hot July day as we sat chatting together discussing this weighty question, fanning ourselves meanwhile under a temperature of ninety degrees; the position of Iceland, with its snow-capped hills and cool temperature seeming positively refreshing and desirable. Mad as the idea seemed when first proposed in mere banter, it ended, as these pages will prove, by our turning the suggestion into a reality, show more and overcoming the difficulties of a trip which will ever remain engraven on my memory as one of the most agreeable experiences of my life.
When I ventilated the idea outside my private 'den,' wherein it first arose, it was treated as far too wild a scheme for serious consideration--for 'Iceland,' to Londoners, seems much the same in point of compass as the moon! And there really is some similarity in the volcanic surface of both. Here, however, the similarity ends, for while the luminary is indeed inaccessible, the island can easily be reached without any very insurmountable difficulty.
Ethel Brilliana Harley was not yet married when she visited Iceland in the summer of 1886, accompanied by her brother Vaughan and three friends, referred to in the book as A. L. T, Miss T. and H. K. Gordon. As she said that she would not have been allowed to take the trip if her brother hadn't gone with her, and she married an Alexander Leslie Tweedie the next year, I assume that two of her travelling companions were her future husband and sister-in-law. Her book came out a couple of years later, and is illustrated by etchings made from her drawings.
Travelling on a merchant ship that also took passengers, they sailed from Edinburgh, anti-clockwise round Iceland and then back to Edinburgh, taking advantage of a few longer stops to see the countryside from horseback, including riding 160 miles in 4 day trip in order to see the geysers while the ship was docked at Reykjavik. Finding that side-saddles were not easy to come by, since Icelandic women mostly rode astride, and sometimes on chair saddles, Ethel decided to try riding astride, getting her brother to check that she looked decent before setting off. Riding man-fashion is less tiring than on a side-saddle, and I soon found it far more agreeable, especially when traversing rough ground. My success soon inspired Miss T. to summon up courage and follow my lead. She had been nearly shaken to pieces in her chair pannier, besides having only obtained a one-sided view of the country through which she rode; and we both returned from a 25 mile ride without feeling tired, whilst from that day till we left the Island, we adopted no other mode of travelling. I am quite sure had we allowed conventional scruples to interfere, we should never have accomplished in four days the 160 miles' ride to the Geysers, which was our ultimate achievement.
The version of the book available on Project Gutenberg is the second edition from 1894 and it includes an introduction explaining what a scandal her book had caused when it was published five years before, due to the descriptions of ladies riding astride. She argues that it is much more comfortable and less tiring for both horse and rider, as in a side-saddle the rider sits in a twisted position and her weight is all to one side of the horse, and compares it to the new pastime of bicycle riding. If women may ride an iron steed thus attired, surely they might be permitted to bestride a horse in like manner clothed, and in like fashion.
As for Iceland itself, the friends were surprised by the lack of wheeled transport, shocked by the poverty of the Icelanders but impressed by the high levels of education and universal literacy. They were stunned by the rugged and beautiful scenery, and especially the geysers and regretted that they didn't have time to visit any glaciers because the boat wasn't stopping for long enough.
I downloaded this late nineteenth-century travel book to my Kindle after reading Lyzzybee's review. I have visited Iceland three tomes and it was really interesting to read a first-hand account of what it was like 125 years ago, through the eyes of an outsider visiting the country. I may well look for some more old travel books show less
When I ventilated the idea outside my private 'den,' wherein it first arose, it was treated as far too wild a scheme for serious consideration--for 'Iceland,' to Londoners, seems much the same in point of compass as the moon! And there really is some similarity in the volcanic surface of both. Here, however, the similarity ends, for while the luminary is indeed inaccessible, the island can easily be reached without any very insurmountable difficulty.
Ethel Brilliana Harley was not yet married when she visited Iceland in the summer of 1886, accompanied by her brother Vaughan and three friends, referred to in the book as A. L. T, Miss T. and H. K. Gordon. As she said that she would not have been allowed to take the trip if her brother hadn't gone with her, and she married an Alexander Leslie Tweedie the next year, I assume that two of her travelling companions were her future husband and sister-in-law. Her book came out a couple of years later, and is illustrated by etchings made from her drawings.
Travelling on a merchant ship that also took passengers, they sailed from Edinburgh, anti-clockwise round Iceland and then back to Edinburgh, taking advantage of a few longer stops to see the countryside from horseback, including riding 160 miles in 4 day trip in order to see the geysers while the ship was docked at Reykjavik. Finding that side-saddles were not easy to come by, since Icelandic women mostly rode astride, and sometimes on chair saddles, Ethel decided to try riding astride, getting her brother to check that she looked decent before setting off. Riding man-fashion is less tiring than on a side-saddle, and I soon found it far more agreeable, especially when traversing rough ground. My success soon inspired Miss T. to summon up courage and follow my lead. She had been nearly shaken to pieces in her chair pannier, besides having only obtained a one-sided view of the country through which she rode; and we both returned from a 25 mile ride without feeling tired, whilst from that day till we left the Island, we adopted no other mode of travelling. I am quite sure had we allowed conventional scruples to interfere, we should never have accomplished in four days the 160 miles' ride to the Geysers, which was our ultimate achievement.
The version of the book available on Project Gutenberg is the second edition from 1894 and it includes an introduction explaining what a scandal her book had caused when it was published five years before, due to the descriptions of ladies riding astride. She argues that it is much more comfortable and less tiring for both horse and rider, as in a side-saddle the rider sits in a twisted position and her weight is all to one side of the horse, and compares it to the new pastime of bicycle riding. If women may ride an iron steed thus attired, surely they might be permitted to bestride a horse in like manner clothed, and in like fashion.
As for Iceland itself, the friends were surprised by the lack of wheeled transport, shocked by the poverty of the Icelanders but impressed by the high levels of education and universal literacy. They were stunned by the rugged and beautiful scenery, and especially the geysers and regretted that they didn't have time to visit any glaciers because the boat wasn't stopping for long enough.
I downloaded this late nineteenth-century travel book to my Kindle after reading Lyzzybee's review. I have visited Iceland three tomes and it was really interesting to read a first-hand account of what it was like 125 years ago, through the eyes of an outsider visiting the country. I may well look for some more old travel books show less
In 1896, the intrepid author, with her sister and a Finnish friend embarked on the adventure of a tour of this unknown land. Although an online biography says that she undertook the trip not long after the premature death of her husband, she nowhere refers to that fact and the narrative is full of tales of derring do and a willingness to rough it and experience everything Finland has to offer.
Despite frequent encounters with bedbugs and some near misses while shooting the rapids on a show more tar-boat, the group traverse the country...a country estate in Vyborg (now Russia); a visit to a monastery in Lake Ladoga; meeting peasants in their cottages; attending a cultural festival...
While a cheery account, it is not great literature, and was something of an effort to complete. The author likes to introduce bits of extraneous information, which seemed a tad superfluous: did I need the individual weights of all the fish caught by a celebrated angler? A word for word translation of a lengthy song? A precise catalogue of the numbers of women employed in every occupation?
Certainly a different kind of tourism than we experience- when a couple of English ladies can get ready permission to bivouac in a major Finnish castle!
Mildly interesting , whether for the Brit interested in Finland- or the Finn intrigued as to what foreigners thought of his homeland. show less
Despite frequent encounters with bedbugs and some near misses while shooting the rapids on a show more tar-boat, the group traverse the country...a country estate in Vyborg (now Russia); a visit to a monastery in Lake Ladoga; meeting peasants in their cottages; attending a cultural festival...
While a cheery account, it is not great literature, and was something of an effort to complete. The author likes to introduce bits of extraneous information, which seemed a tad superfluous: did I need the individual weights of all the fish caught by a celebrated angler? A word for word translation of a lengthy song? A precise catalogue of the numbers of women employed in every occupation?
Certainly a different kind of tourism than we experience- when a couple of English ladies can get ready permission to bivouac in a major Finnish castle!
Mildly interesting , whether for the Brit interested in Finland- or the Finn intrigued as to what foreigners thought of his homeland. show less
E-book, read on Kindle. Downloaded Feb 2011 from manybooks.net (I think)
Usually, I have a "nice" book or two on the go at home and then a less special copy to pop in my handbag for reading on the bus. But I took a look at my TBR and realised that I've got up to the Christmas/Birthday acquisitions, which means lots of "nice" books and not many "handbag" books. So I thought I'd use my poor, dusty Kindle, so eagerly anticipated and so underused since I got it, for reading on the bus. After all, show more a) I have 44 books on it, and b), as Matthew pointed out, I happily wave my Blackberry around on the bus, which cost twice as much.
So - the reading experience was good. I felt hyper-vigilant at first, taking it into town and back including coming back on the No 50 bus after 8 pm. But it was fine; as far as I could see, noboldy turned a hair, or even looked at it. My commutes to work are quite quiet as I go in early and come back before rush hour, and again, I was fine. I have the Kindle in a case, so I just popped it out of my bag, propped it on my bag on my lap, and there I was. It's comfortable to hold with the case folded back (I have one shaped like a traditional book) although I don't yet use it one-handed like the people in the ads. The screen was easy to read in sunlight and duller conditions, the pages are easy to turn, and the procedure for putting it away - flicking the switch and closing the case - take the same amount of time as inserting the bookmark and shutting the book. I am careful of my handbag with it in, and make sure it's stored vertically between my purse and a notebook, and I'm more careful not to slam my bag down or kick it out of the way (and I keep the Kindle out of the bag at home) and all seems fine.
As to this particular book. Well, it was a charming read, which I would not have been able to read without digging out a second hand copy in Hay on Wye or a similar place, but easily available through Project Gutenberg and other sites like manybooks. My only problem with the text was that a) illustrations were not included (I have read a book with illustrations on M's e-reader, so assume this is an issue with the text and not the Kindle), and b) some of the accented letters came out oddly - and of course Icelandic has a lot of these. I presume that's a glitch in the coding, and it was OK, if a little annoying. The narrative itself is the 2nd edition of the book, originally published in 1889 and again in 1894 with a 'Preface to the Second Edition' which I didn't notice until I was checking the publication date. But I'm glad I read it after the main narrative. The book deals with a trip to and around Iceland, undertaken by the author, her brother, her female friend and two of her brother's male friends. Intrepid as an Isabella Bird, she quickly takes to riding the Icelandic ponies in the "man's" style, i.e. sitting astride the pony rather than side-saddle, finding it more comfortable and easier on both her and the pony. The consternation with which this report was received was the subject of her Preface, in which she admits that she hasn't been able to make people change over to the new style. Apart from this controversial issue, it's a lovely description of Iceland, its people and places, giving a vivid snapshot of the island at the beginning of its tourist age, when it took 5 days to get there by boat from Scotland. Many of the sights and sites are the same, which made it a good companion to my Rough Guide, read recently, and in fact I'm now on to another book about travelling in the country.
A good experiment with the Kindle, and a great book I wouldn't have found without the device. I will definitely be continuing with both the Kindle and the collection of slightly obscure travel narratives I have loaded onto it. show less
Usually, I have a "nice" book or two on the go at home and then a less special copy to pop in my handbag for reading on the bus. But I took a look at my TBR and realised that I've got up to the Christmas/Birthday acquisitions, which means lots of "nice" books and not many "handbag" books. So I thought I'd use my poor, dusty Kindle, so eagerly anticipated and so underused since I got it, for reading on the bus. After all, show more a) I have 44 books on it, and b), as Matthew pointed out, I happily wave my Blackberry around on the bus, which cost twice as much.
So - the reading experience was good. I felt hyper-vigilant at first, taking it into town and back including coming back on the No 50 bus after 8 pm. But it was fine; as far as I could see, noboldy turned a hair, or even looked at it. My commutes to work are quite quiet as I go in early and come back before rush hour, and again, I was fine. I have the Kindle in a case, so I just popped it out of my bag, propped it on my bag on my lap, and there I was. It's comfortable to hold with the case folded back (I have one shaped like a traditional book) although I don't yet use it one-handed like the people in the ads. The screen was easy to read in sunlight and duller conditions, the pages are easy to turn, and the procedure for putting it away - flicking the switch and closing the case - take the same amount of time as inserting the bookmark and shutting the book. I am careful of my handbag with it in, and make sure it's stored vertically between my purse and a notebook, and I'm more careful not to slam my bag down or kick it out of the way (and I keep the Kindle out of the bag at home) and all seems fine.
As to this particular book. Well, it was a charming read, which I would not have been able to read without digging out a second hand copy in Hay on Wye or a similar place, but easily available through Project Gutenberg and other sites like manybooks. My only problem with the text was that a) illustrations were not included (I have read a book with illustrations on M's e-reader, so assume this is an issue with the text and not the Kindle), and b) some of the accented letters came out oddly - and of course Icelandic has a lot of these. I presume that's a glitch in the coding, and it was OK, if a little annoying. The narrative itself is the 2nd edition of the book, originally published in 1889 and again in 1894 with a 'Preface to the Second Edition' which I didn't notice until I was checking the publication date. But I'm glad I read it after the main narrative. The book deals with a trip to and around Iceland, undertaken by the author, her brother, her female friend and two of her brother's male friends. Intrepid as an Isabella Bird, she quickly takes to riding the Icelandic ponies in the "man's" style, i.e. sitting astride the pony rather than side-saddle, finding it more comfortable and easier on both her and the pony. The consternation with which this report was received was the subject of her Preface, in which she admits that she hasn't been able to make people change over to the new style. Apart from this controversial issue, it's a lovely description of Iceland, its people and places, giving a vivid snapshot of the island at the beginning of its tourist age, when it took 5 days to get there by boat from Scotland. Many of the sights and sites are the same, which made it a good companion to my Rough Guide, read recently, and in fact I'm now on to another book about travelling in the country.
A good experiment with the Kindle, and a great book I wouldn't have found without the device. I will definitely be continuing with both the Kindle and the collection of slightly obscure travel narratives I have loaded onto it. show less
An enjoyably jaunty trip to Iceland in the 1890s, all taken with great aplomb and good spirits and a long discussion of how important it would be to ride astride, not side-saddle. A nice little find.
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 72
- Popularity
- #243,042
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 17
- Languages
- 2
