The daughter of a naval officer, throughout her life Maria Graham (later Callcott) combined her passion for adventure with a diligent attention to scholarship and self-improvement. A talented linguist, children's author, travel writer and self-confessed 'tomboy', by the time Journal of a Voyage to Brazil was published in 1824 she had already penned successful travel diaries for both India and Italy. A perceptive observer, her accessible style made her popular with readers in Britain. Here, Graham combines a history of Brazil with her personal impressions of the politics and people of Madeira, Tenerife, and South America. A friend of Turner and Eastlake, her own artistic talents are evident in the numerous plates that punctuate her vivid account. From slave markets to dragon trees and graveyards, every significant aspect of her personal experiences and observations is relayed to the reader in an absorbing succession of words and images.
