Elizabeth Carter (2) (1717–1806)

Elizabeth Carter was the daughter of a clergyman well-educated in the Greek and Latin classics, as well as Hebrew, and he taught Elizabeth alongside her brothers and encouraged her to study further. She became skilled in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Italian, Spanish, and German, and as an adult, taught herself Portuguese and Arabic. According to tradition, Elizabeth Carter lost her health by studying long nights as a child, and she did suffer from severe headaches as an adult. Her father was a friend of Gentleman’s Magazine editor Edward Cave, who began to publish her essays and articles. She also published two collections of verse, Poems upon Particular Occasions (1738) and Poems on Several Occasions (1762). However, Elizabeth Carter's linguistic talents and her acclaimed 1758 translation of the work of the Greek philosopher Epictetus won her lasting fame. The name "bluestocking" was coined for her circle of female friends with literary and scholarly interests. She also was a friend and correspondent of many prominent male political and artistic figures of her day, including Edmund Burke, Horace Walpole, Joshua Reynolds, and Samuel Johnson.