About
Anna Kingsford, born Annie Bonus in 1846 in Stratford, Essex, was one of the first English women to earn a medical degree, from the University of Paris in 1880. She is known for her opposition to vivisection and advocacy for vegetarianism. She wrote on women's suffrage and edited The Lady's Own Paper. With Edward Maitland, she co-authored The Perfect Way (1882), an influential esoteric work. She presided over the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society before founding the Hermetic Society. Her posthumous writings include Clothed with the Sun (1889). She died in 1888.
* 1846-09-16 — † 1888-02-22
Major works
- River-Reeds (1866)poetry collection
- An Essay on the Admission of Women to the Parliamentary Franchise (1868)essay
- Rosamunda the Princess (1875)historical novel
- The Perfect Way, or the Finding of Christ (1882)esoteric work
- Clothed with the Sun (1889)collection of visions
Key milestones
- 1880Earned her medical degree from the University of Paris, becoming one of the first English women to do so.
- 1883Became president of the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society.
- 1884Co-founded the Hermetic Society after breaking away from the Theosophical Society.
Themes
Western esotericismfeminismvegetarianismanti-vivisectionChristian mysticism
Sources: id.loc.gov · catalogue.bnf.fr · cambridge.org