Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lizzie Le Blond |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | 26 June 1860 Greystones, Ireland |
| Died | 27 July 1934 Llandrindod Wells, Wales |
| Occupation | photographer, autobiographer |
| Climbing career | |
| Type of climber | mountaineer, alpinist, winter climbing |
| Updated on 8 July 2020. | |
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed (born June 26, 1860 – died July 27, 1934) was an amazing Irish adventurer. She was known as Mrs Aubrey Le Blond after her third marriage, and her climbing friends called her Lizzie Le Blond. She was a pioneer in mountaineering, which means she was one of the first women to climb mountains. This was very unusual for women at that time! Elizabeth was also a talented writer and a photographer who captured beautiful mountain scenes.
Elizabeth came from a wealthy family in Ireland. Her father, Captain Sir St Vincent Hawkins-Whitshed, owned a lot of land in Greystones, County Wicklow. Sadly, her father died when she was young. Since she was still a child, the Lord Chancellor became her guardian.
She later moved to Switzerland, a country famous for its mountains. There, she became well-known for climbing while wearing a skirt! In 1907, she helped create the Ladies' Alpine Club and became its first president. She wrote seven books about mountain climbing. During her life, she made twenty first ascents. This means she was the first person ever to reach the top of those mountains.
Elizabeth also made at least ten films about alpine activities in Switzerland. These included ice hockey and tobogganing. She was one of the very first female filmmakers in the world. Her films were shown in public and praised by other film pioneers.
Her Life Story
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed was born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 26, 1860. She grew up in Killincarrick House in Greystones. Her childhood was happy, but her father died when she was only eleven. She inherited Killincarrick House and a lot of land.
When she was eighteen, Elizabeth joined London society. In 1879, she married her first husband, Captain Fred Burnaby. He was a British Army officer. Their son, Harry Burnaby, was born in 1880. A few months after Harry's birth, Elizabeth and Fred began living mostly separate lives. Fred died in a conflict in Sudan in 1885.
Elizabeth faced some health challenges. In 1881, she moved to Switzerland, hoping the mountain air would help her.
In 1886, Elizabeth married her second husband, John Frederick Main. This marriage was short, as he died in North America in 1892.
In 1900, she married her third husband, Aubrey Le Blond.
Elizabeth died on July 27, 1934. She was buried in London.
Her Books
Elizabeth loved writing and photography. She wrote books using both her earlier name, Elizabeth Hawkins Whitshed, and her later name, Aubrey Le Blond. Her first book, The High Alps of Winter, was published in 1883. It was the start of many books and articles about her climbing adventures.
Later, she also wrote fiction, travel stories, and family history. Even though she was a talented writer, she loved photography the most. She carried her camera everywhere she went. She has 69 known works in 220 publications across three languages.
Mountain Climbing
Elizabeth didn't follow the usual London lifestyle of the 1880s. She went to Chamonix, a famous climbing spot. Her first big climb was two-thirds of the way up Mont Blanc. She is famous for photos showing her climbing in a skirt. However, she would change into more practical clothes when no one was watching.
Her health issues didn't stop her from going on expeditions. In fact, her time abroad was also spent trying to improve her health. This encouraged her to push herself further.
In the summer of 1881, she moved to Switzerland, the heart of European mountaineering. That summer, she climbed Mont Blanc twice! She also scaled several other difficult peaks in Switzerland over twenty years. Later in her career, Elizabeth explored Lapland and Norway. She spent six summers in the Norwegian Arctic. This led her to discover new areas. She completed over one hundred climbs there, with twenty of them being first ascents.
In 1907, Elizabeth helped create the Ladies' Alpine Club. She also became its first president. She was very brave and inspired many future generations of women to take part in activities that were once only for men.
Photography
From the start of her climbing adventures, Elizabeth carried her camera. She captured amazing views that no one had seen before. She was also one of the first people to take photos in the snow.
Over the years, she took thousands of pictures. About four hundred of them were used in different books and publications. Elizabeth developed and printed her own photos. She often worked in very difficult conditions. She would sell her photos for charity, give them as gifts, or offer them as prizes at climbing events. Sadly, not many of her mountaineering photos are left today.
In 2003, an exhibition of her photographs was held at the Pontresina Alpine Museum. A collection of her photos was also published in a book.
Some of Her Books
- The high Alps in winter, or mountaineering in search of health (published 1883)
- Mountaineering in the Land of the Midnight Sun
- Adventures on the Roof of the World
- True Tales of Mountain Adventure: For non-climbers Young and Old
- My Home in the Alps
- High Life of Towers and Silence
- Day In, Day Out (her autobiography)
