Rachel Elfreda Fowler (10 December 1872 – 1951) was an English literary scholar and lecturer in art and history at the University of Oxford.
Early life
Rachel Fowler was born in London on 10 December 1872, the youngest daughter of
Sir Robert Fowler (1828-1891), member of parliament and Lord Mayor of London, and his wife Sarah Charlotte Fowler, née Fox. Elfreda was one of eleven children. She received her advanced education at
Westfield College
Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...
and then at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
where she studied modern languages.
Career
Fowler completed her PhD at the University of Paris in 1905 on the subject of "Une Source Française des Poèmes de Gower" which discussed the sources for
John Gower
John Gower (; c. 1330 – October 1408) was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and the Pearl Poet, and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civ ...
's poetry.
["The French Works: ''Mirour de l'Omme''" by Craig E. Bertolet in ]
She worked as a nurse in Paris for two years during the First World War and later lectured in art and history at the University of Oxford.
Death and legacy
She committed suicide in 1951.
Her papers are held by Queen Mary Archives.
Guide to Archives.
Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 30 June 2018. She was the subject of a biographical monograph by Genevieve O. Davidson in 1952.
Selected publications
* ''Une Source Française des Poèmes de Gower''. Macon, 1905.
References
Further reading
*Davidson, Genevieve O. (1952) ''Rachel Elfreda Fowler''. C. Tinling
1872 births
1951 suicides
20th-century British women
Women art historians
University of Paris alumni
Nurses from London
Academics of the University of Oxford
British women historians
Daughters of baronets
British expatriates in France
Suicides in the United Kingdom
{{UK-historian-stub