The Google Doodle in honour of Elizabeth Barrett Browning on the 208th anniversary of her birth
Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning has received the Google Doodle treatment today, the 208th anniversary of her birth.
The stylised Google logo on the search giant’s homepage features a drawing of Browning, clasping a book in one arm and a flower in one hand, with the word ‘Google’ in script on a pink and white filigree background.
Browning was one of the most highly regarded poets of her time, and wife of fellow poet Robert Browning.
Her most well-known works include Grief, How Do I Love Thee?, Lost Mistress, and her Sonnets from the Portuguese poems.
Browning was born Elizabeth Barrett in Co Durham, England, on 6 March 1806, the first of 12 children. She was educated at home and began writing poetry at the age of 6.
In 1844, her volume Poems made her one of the most popular writers in England, and the volume also caught the attention of Robert Browning. He wrote to her, telling her how much he loved her work. That letter was the first of 574 that the couple would exchange over two years, The Guardian reported.
The pair married in 1846 and moved to Florence, Italy, where they lived out most of their married life. Elizabeth died there on 29 June 1861, at the age of 55.
