Elizabeth Vassall's Audacious Deception
Elizabeth Vassall, a young English aristocrat of immense fortune, orchestrated a shocking deception in 1796 while traveling in Italy.
She shared the grim news of her daughter Harriet's sudden death due to illness, and a small makeshift coffin was delivered for burial. However, the truth was far more astonishing.
Elizabeth had painted red spots on her daughter's skin with watercolours to mimic infection, then claimed her daughter had died.
Harriet was then smuggled out of Italy disguised as a boy, marking one of the most audacious deceptions of the Georgian era.
Motivations Behind the Deception
This bold act was not merely an eccentric prank, but rather a complex interplay of wealth, slavery, and patriarchy in Georgian Britain.
Author's summary: Aristocrat fakes daughter's death in 1796.