Anne Hunter

Anne Hunter (1742–1821) was a prominent salonnière, poet, and songwriter in Georgian London, best remembered for writing the texts to at least nine of Joseph Haydn's English songs. Born Anne Home in Waterford, Ireland, she married the renowned surgeon John Hunter in 1771 after a long engagement, hosting leading intellectuals like the Bluestockings at their home, which later formed the basis for the Hunterian Museum. After her husband's death in 1793, she published collections of her poetry, including Poems (1802) and The Sports of the Genii (1804), while continuing to write prolifically under pseudonyms.