Jane Welsh Carlyle

Date of Birth: January 14, 1801

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Date of Death: April 21, 1866

Biography

Jane Welsh Carlyle, born Jane Baillie Welsh, was a prolific writer and skilled letter-writer, best known as the wife of the Scottish essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle. Born into a well-off family in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, Jane was highly educated and exhibited an early talent for literature and languages. She married Thomas Carlyle in 1826 and their relationship, though intellectually stimulating, was often tumultuous. Jane’s letters reveal her sharp wit, keen observations, and the personal struggles she faced in her marriage. Despite her remarkable literary talent, she often took a backseat to her husband’s career, but her correspondence has since been recognized for its literary and historical value. Jane Welsh Carlyle died in 1866, leaving behind a legacy of insightful and poignant letters that provide a vivid glimpse into the life of a 19th-century intellectual woman.

5 Interesting Facts about Jane Welsh Carlyle

1. Jane Welsh Carlyle was fluent in multiple languages, including French, German, and Italian.

2. She had an extensive correspondence with many notable figures of her time, including Elizabeth Gaskell and Geraldine Jewsbury.

3. Jane was known for her sharp wit and often provided critical and humorous commentary on Victorian society.

4. Despite her literary talents, she often felt overshadowed by her husband’s career.

5. Her letters have been published posthumously, providing significant insight into her life and times.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Jane Welsh Carlyle

1. “I have led a life so full of noise and bustle that I have not had time to sit down and think.”

2. “People who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.”

3. “I am not at all the sort of person you and others take me for.”

4. “The longer I live, the more I see that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains I have taken to rectify my mistakes have only been so much loss of time.”

5. “One must not always think that feeling is everything. Art is nothing without form.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Jane Welsh Carlyle did not accumulate significant personal wealth during her lifetime, and her net worth was largely tied to her husband, Thomas Carlyle. The Carlyles lived modestly, and their financial situation was relatively stable due to Thomas’s earnings from his writings.