A lovely tribute, in the true Victorian style, of Emma Foreman (b.1832), who was the fourth woman to climb Mont Blanc and, in 1857, the first to climb Monte Rosa, just two years after the first man.
Emma Foreman climbed Mont Blanc, with her father Richard and their guide, on August 1, 1856. The ascent had first been made by a woman in 1809 (Marie Paradis), and again in 1838 (Henriette d’Angeville) and 1854 (Mrs. Hamilton - her name appears lost to history). The present record of her climbs incorporates an image of Emma Forman, her father Richard, and their guide Conte, as well as lists her climbs from 1853-7.
According to the text at the head of the image, which could hardly be more patronising: “These ascents are copied from Miss Forman’s Alpenstock, in possession of her daughter Mrs. Dames … Miss Forman was a woman of great decision of character, and after her hazardous trip up Mont Blanc settled down in life, married the chief medical officer of Dowlais, Dr. White, and retired from Wales.”
Walchester, K., “Alpine Guides, Gender, and British Climbers, 1859-85” in Victorian Periodical Review, Vol. 51, No. 3, (Fall, 2018), pp.521-538.
