1802-1838
[Sidenote: Crabb Robinson’s _Diary_.]
“... Miss Landon, a young poetess--a starling--the L. E. L. of the
_Gazette_, with a gay good-humoured face, which gave me a favourable
impression.”--1826.
[Sidenote: Blanchard’s _Life of L. E. L._]
“Her hair was ‘darkly brown,’ very soft and beautiful, and always
tastefully arranged; her figure, as before remarked, slight, but
well-formed and graceful; her feet small, but her hands especially
so, and faultlessly white and finely shaped; her fingers were fairy
fingers; her ears also were observably little. Her face, though not
regular in ‘every feature,’ became beautiful by expression,--every
flash of thought, every change and colour of feeling lightened over
it as she spoke,--when she spoke earnestly. The forehead was not
high, but broad and full; the eyes had no overpowering brilliancy, but
their clear intellectual light penetrated by its exquisite softness;
her mouth was not less marked by character, and, besides the glorious
faculty of uttering the pearls and diamonds of fancy and wit, knew
how to express scorn, or anger, or pride, as well as it knew how to
smile winningly, or to pour forth those short, quick, ringing laughs
which, not excepting even her _bon-mots_ and aphorisms, were the most
delightful things that issued from it.”--1832.
[Sidenote: S. C. Hall’s _Retrospect of a Long Life_.]
“Small of person, but well formed. Her dark silken hair braided back
over a small, but what phrenologists would call a well-developed head;
her forehead full and open, but the hair grew low upon it; the eyebrows
perfect in arch and form; the eyes round--soft or flashing as might
be--gray, well formed, and beautifully set; the lashes long and black,
the under lashes turning down with delicate curve, and forming a soft
relief upon the tint of her cheek, which, when she enjoyed good health,
was bright and blushing; her complexion was delicately fair; her skin
soft and transparent; her nose small (_retroussé_), slightly curved,
but capable of scornful expression, which she did not appear to have
the power of repressing, even though she gave her thoughts no words,
when any despicable action was alluded to.”--About 1835.