Lady Maria Callcott

Born Maria Dundas in Papcastle, near Cockermouth, in 1785, she became known as Maria Graham after her first marriage and later as Lady Callcott. Her travels took her through India, South Africa, Chile, and Europe, where she recorded landscapes, people, art, and natural events—including the earthquakes she witnessed in Chile in 1822.

She wrote travel books, histories of France and Spain, works on art, and children’s literature, while also working as an accomplished illustrator and naturalist. Her Little Arthur’s History of England was her most successful book and remained in circulation for generations. She died in Kensington in 1842.