A talk by Romani academic Dr Ken Lee on the incredible life of Esmeralda Lock.
A Romani woman, a forced marriage, a trophy bride, a seducer, adulteress and divorcee, a re-marriage, a separation, widowhood, an old age of poverty and a lonely death.
Esmeralda Lock (1854 -1939) was a Romani woman, whose life from the age of sixteen was intertwined with Gypsilorists. Accounts of her life appeared in two books, Tent Life with English Gypsies in Norway by Hubert Smith, her first husband (1873) and My Gypsy Days , by her ‘Romani Sister ’Dora Yates (1953). A further account was published in a magazine article by Morley Tonkin (1963). Drawing on recent discussions about the use and interpretation of archives, Dr Ken Lee will ‘read against the grain’ and present a counter-narrative of Esmeralda’s life.
Free event but booking is required.
Please contact the Gallery for further information: 0113 343 2778.
