Maidstone Museum Highlights Overlooked 18th-Century Female Artist Margaret Hazlitt

Maidstone Museum is spotlighting Margaret 'Peggy' Hazlitt, a previously overlooked female artist from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in Maidstone, Kent in 1770, Hazlitt was the sister of essayist William Hazlitt and portrait painter John Hazlitt. She displayed artistic talent, creating landscapes and rural scenes in a Dutch-influenced style, with several works now held by Maidstone Museum. Her journal, published in 1967, provides a rare female perspective from her family. Hazlitt never married and spent much of her life caring for her parents, passing away in Liverpool in 1844. This feature highlights her contributions during Women's History Month, emphasizing the often-hidden roles of women artists from that era.