Recollections of Egyptian Princesses

ELLEN CHENNELLS (Continued)

The mystery of Emmeline Lott
Ellen was aged 57 when she went to Egypt. This does not seem to have been a drawback to her appointment by the Khedive, who may, indeed, actually have preferred a mature woman to educate Zeynab during an important time in her development. What is more, there could be no doubt that Ellen was a highly experienced, and obviously capable governess - and, perhaps just as importantly, one who was used to aristocratic housholds and pupils.

No doubt Ismael would still have felt uneasy about Emmeline Lott's books about life in the palace, which were not only sexually suggestive, but were extremely insulting about the Khedival family and their domestic arrangements. Unlike Ellen, who realised that it was regarded as very bad manners to openly discuss anyone, and so who was reluctant to publish her memoirs even when almost destitute, Lott seems to have no hesitation about embarrassing anyone.

At this point, indeed, perhaps something needs to be said about Emmeline Lott, especially as her books have been compared to Ellen's. But, curiously, Lott remains a complete mystery; her dates are unknown, and she appears on no census, or record of births, marriages and deaths for the UK.

And this, surely, raises the question of whether she was, in fact, British, despite claiming to be. Indeed, one of her books was re-titled The English governess in Egypt, to emphasise it. But was it perhaps re-titled because questions were raised at the time about her nationality? After all, the name "Emmeline" was not, in the mid 19th century, an English name, although it did become popular towards the end of the century. In the extremely rare instances it does appear, the English spelling was "Emmiline". Of course it might have been a nickname, perhaps based on, e.g. "Emma". But none the less it does raise the possibility that she was not English (Lott is also, for example, a German name) and it must have led to suspicions at the time, which is perhaps why the title of her book was changed.

Certainly her books are written in very fluent English - indeed, a markedly journalistic, gossipy style. Plainly they are the work of an experienced writer, who knew what sold. So were they, just possibly, either ghosted, or sub-edited by her various publishers?

Lott's books cater for western fantasies about harems, and what - in western imagination - went on in them. She emphasises this in the subtitles of her books: Harem life in Egypt and constantinople; Nights in the harem, etc. Plainly these are titles that were intended to encourage sales, and aimed at a readership that was not particuarly interested in the - actually rather prosaic - reality of life in the palace harem. A harem was, after all, only the women's quarter of a house.

Rather hypocritically, however, Lott constantly protested that she found every thing to be offensively "lewd". (It is surely very significant that Ellen, who was the very model of an elderly, high Victorian spinster lady, never felt the same; indeed, she was quite willing to eventually go to live with Zeynab in the Gezireh and other palaces).

Unsurprisingly the harem angle sold plenty of copies of Lott's books, and has gained her some fame. The (English) Governess ran to at least four editions in the 19th century. But it does mean that they should be regarded with a degree of caution as historical documents. They do contain undoubted facts, but this is mixed with a great deal of far less valuable writing. They are most certainly not a sober, un-prejudiced, and un-sensational account of Egyptian court life at the time.

Indeed, there is a disturbingly racist element to Lott's books. She does not try to conceal the fact that she believed that the Egyptians, and the Ottomans were somehow "inferior." And this is no doubt why she almost exploded with rage when she was treated by them simply as - well, a governess. (It is hard to know what her contemporary audience would have felt about this; certainly any governess in England at the time would have been sacked for complaining even half so much as Lott did).

In fact whether she was an effective governess at all is open to question. She plainly had no liking for children, and spared no opportunity to be especially critical of Prince Ibrahim, who she taught. Ellen, on the other hand, took a far more professional, kindly and understanding approach. Indeed, a reader of their respective books might well wonder if they were writing about the same child, as regards Ibrahim).

Fortunately, however, for Ibrahim's development as a child if for no other reason, Lott finally decided that Egypt was just too horrid for her (or perhaps that she by now had gathered enough material for her books), and used her health as an excuse for ending her contract.

Unsurprisingly, then, Ellen felt that she needed to explain why she had taken notes. "I had always been in the habit of keeping a journal when travelling or residing in foreign countries." There is no particular reason to doubt this explanation; almost every middle and upper-class woman of the time was in fact expected to keep a diary; many men did, too. And given Ellen's reluctance to publish her "journal" for many years, it does not appear that she had publication as an aim.

Certainly she seems to have gained Ismael's confidence. Firstly he wished her to remain living with Zeynab after her marriage. Indeed, even after Zeynab's tragic early death Ellen's contract "still remained good, and... I heard that his Highness intended to employ me again." (However, national events were to prevent this).

This is not to say that Ellen liked everything that she found in Egypt. The food was not always to her taste, and in particular she found it hard to accept things like eunuchs, and slavery. She was also quick to see inefficiency and waste. However, throughout her narrative we hear the voice of someone who expected to find that things were different, and could be uncomfortable on occasion, but who was prepared to make the best of it. Indeed, had misfortune not overtaken Ismael and his family, she may very well have lived out her days in Egypt, ending up not in a small boarding-house but in a palace in Alexandria.

To be continued...