Emy Lyon (for that is
how she began her
life) knew that if she
were to transcend the
social
environment
into which she had
been born, she would
have to do so through
the art of pleasing.
As Emma Hart she
captured
Charles
Emma.
Greville and evidently
charmed George Romney, who returned to her image in
painting after painting. In the hands of Sir William, Greville���s recently widowed uncle, she blossomed as a singer and amateur performer ��� and eventually as his wife.
And as Lady Hamilton she courted respectability and
political power at the Court of Naples, only to relinquish
them once she began her notorious affair with Horatio
Nelson, with whom she has been linked ��� in caricature
as well as the popular imagination ��� ever since.
Emma.
For his part,
Hamilton
had
forged his reputation as a collector
and man of taste
long before Emma
Hart entered his
life. His extended
diplomatic mission
enabled him to acHYLAND
