Masterworks: Portrait of a Lady - Joanne Major - Interview

  Today is the seventh of a series on nine interviews I'm sharing on the Crowvus Book Blog. These are from the authors of the short stories included in the Masterworks anthology by the Historical Writers Forum. We're running through chronologically, some are video interviews, others are written.

I'm delighted to welcome the brilliant Joanne Major to share a few answers about the inspiration for her intriguing story, Portrait of a Lady, keeping fiction believeable, and her research process...

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself, what you write (besides Masterworks!), and what inspired you to begin writing.

I live in Lincolnshire with my family and dogs. I’m not far away from Lincoln itself which is a wonderful city for anyone interested in history.

Although I’ve always written, for the longest time I lacked the confidence to attempt publication. That changed after a chance online encounter via a genealogy forum with Sarah Murden who would go on to be my co-author for several years. We stumbled across a fascinating but little-known historical story. The research led down rabbit holes and soon there was enough material for three nonfiction books. One day, I was contacted via Twitter by someone commissioning for Pen & Sword Books. Did I, she wondered, have anything I’d like to submit?

Six years later, and after co-authoring four biographies and one collection of true short stories, I began to research and write what would become my first solo work, Kitty Fisher: The First Female Celebrity, published in 2022. Alongside that, I enrolled at the University of Lincoln to study for a degree in Creative Writing. I graduated with a BA (Hons) and went on to study for an MA.

During my time at university, I’ve concentrated on fiction and rediscovered my love of creating characters, and their worlds, and of telling stories.

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Introduce us to your chosen artwork

It’s a three-quarter length portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873), titled Portrait of a Lady and held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Winterhalter was a German artist who became known as a painter to the royal courts of Europe. His subjects almost exclusively came from society’s top tier. This portrait, however, is of an unknown lady connected to Queen Victoria’s court. She is holding a mantel edged with ermine which, in art, often denotes royalty or at least a peer of the realm. Dating to around c.1840/50, it seems strange that someone significant enough in her day to be painted by Winterhalter would, within a century, be nameless.

A writer in the 1940s said that ‘there is no record of the identity of the subject, but her bearing and costume indicate that she was one of the bevy of young women who fluttered about the Queen at Windsor… The spectator’s interest, like the artist’s, is centred on the subject, who is painted with all the charm – and the rather unexpected lack of flattery – on which Winterhalter’s claim to fame rests. About her, and the world she represents, there is something infinitely, if fleetingly, appealing.’

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The story focuses on the upper echelons of society. How much research did you have to do into the way these people lived and worked?

The main part of the story is set in 1844, and the conclusion is in 1880. It also harks back to the end of the previous century, to establish Jeanne’s back story, and so covers almost a hundred years. My research to date has focused mostly on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and both well-to-do families and those from poorer backgrounds. Therefore, I began with a reasonable knowledge of the society portrayed in my story. However, there was research still to be done.

I read up on Franz Xaver Winterhalter and spent time looking at his various paintings. The etiquette at Queen Victoria’s court and in grand houses was also something I researched but, as I was writing fiction, I did allow myself a few liberties. As well as reference books, I rewatched period films and TV dramas such as Victoria which helped me to visualise the clothes and settings for my story. (In short, research was a lot of fun!)

The history of the French Revolution, the July Revolution, and the events surrounding the exile and restoration of the French monarchy were events I needed to revisit ahead of writing. I drew up a detailed timeline so I could be sure of facts and dates, and that my story would fit into them.

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Was there a particular research gem which you discovered while you were writing Portrait of a Lady?

As someone who has thoroughly enjoyed the TV series Victoria, one of the discoveries I made during my research was that Nancy Skerrett, Queen Victoria’s dresser, was based on a real person. In the TV series, Skerrett was a heavily fictionalised version of Marianne Skerrett who worked for the queen between 1837 and 1862. Once I’d realised that, she had to make a brief appearance in my story.

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This is a story of intrigue. What was the hardest thing about writing a story in this genre?

My published writing to date has been in nonfiction. I’m still learning when it comes to fiction and am finding my voice and style. The hardest thing was to keep my protagonist, Jeanne, believable throughout while dropping enough hints that there was more to her story than she was letting on. I also had to detail the exile and subsequent restoration of the French monarchy (which forms the backdrop) in a natural way because I didn’t want it to come across as a history lesson.

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Jeanne is a very complex character! What was the best or most fun aspect of her to write about?

I came to love Jeanne, and I hope that readers will too. She’s a flawed, manipulative person but also a woman who’s not afraid to take a chance. I enjoyed writing Jeanne’s dialogue, especially when she bumped into someone from her past. The ending was also a lot of fun to write, hinting at other adventures she’d had during her life.

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Have you got a favourite line from Portrait of a Lady of which you felt particularly proud?

Lord Henry Webster ended up having quite a dry sense of humour and there are several of his lines of dialogue that I love, even though he’s often quite cutting.

My favourite line, though, is one spoken by Queen Victoria when she’s musing on Jeanne’s origins.

‘However, as she is a woman alone in this city then we should be circumspect, lest we place her in danger.’

I like the implied sense of sisterhood and the fact that Victoria – or, at least, my version of her – is prepared to keep secrets if it helps another woman.

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What do you hope readers will take away from your story?

First and foremost, I hope that they enjoy reading it and that it provides a brief escape from daily life. I’d also love to think that it leaves them pondering how women have navigated their lives throughout history and influenced their society. In my nonfiction writing, I concentrate on the little-known stories about women. Some of my discoveries have truly proved the adage that truth is often stranger than fiction, so Jeanne’s life seems entirely possible.

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If time travel were possible (perhaps it’s only a matter of time!) would you choose to go back to 1844, or another year? Why?

If I had the chance, I’d go back to 1859. My first nonfiction book, An Infamous Mistress, was about Grace Dalrymple Elliott (1754-1823) who is remembered for many things, not least being a courtesan. She was also in France during the revolutionary years and left behind a journal which is one of the few first-hand accounts written from a female perspective. It was published posthumously in 1859. I am convinced that it was heavily edited by Grace’s granddaughter who removed some of the more salacious details. Also, I believe that either she or the publisher, added in a more dramatic ending. I’d like to get a look at that journal in its original state. I’m not sure what I’d then do to preserve Grace’s journal intact if I discovered I was right. A time-travelling theft might have to occur…

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What’s next for your writing? Any projects in the pipeline?

I’ve got one more nonfiction book under contract, about a woman born in Lincolnshire. As well as that, for my Creative Writing MA I began a novel that was meant to be a psychological thriller, but which ended up crossing over into the women’s literature genre. Having got the first 25,000 words of that written, I’m aiming to complete it and see if I can get it published. I’ve also got three essays included in an upcoming anthology on Georgian-era elopement and abduction, titled, On the Wings of Love.

Aside from that, however, I’d love to work on more historical fiction. Jeanne may be someone I revisit as her adventures do not end with this story and I’m curious to know what else she got up to.

You can find Portrait of a Lady in the Masterworks anthology, which is available on #KindleUnlimited HERE!

Now, let's meet the author!

Joanne Major is the author, and co-author, of several works of historical nonfiction published by Pen & Sword History, set mainly in the Georgian era. Her latest book is the biography of an eighteenth-century courtesan whose name is remembered in a nursery rhyme, Kitty Fisher: The First Female Celebrity. Joanne holds a BA (First Class) in Creative Writing from the University of Lincoln and is studying for an MA in the same, focusing on crime/thriller writing. She lives in Lincolnshire with her family and dogs.