Mary Braddon
Mary Elizabeth Braddon was born in 1835 to a literary family in London; her father was a solicitor by trade, but relied on magazine writing to supplement the family income. Her father's lack of financial success made the entire family's situation perilous, especially after Braddon's parents separated in 1840. Motivated to help support her mother and sister, Braddon began working as a professional actress in 1852, the first of many ways in which she would depart from the social expectations...
