- J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, compliments Olive's plays, a contemporary.
- Rupert Brooke, at college with Julian Cain, he attends all the right plays and parties.
- William Morris, whose artworks are mentioned often, setting the tone for the Arts and Crafts subtext of the novel.
- Bernard Palissy, mentioned throughout as the most expert of potters.
- Oscar Wilde, shown in his declining years and at the 1900 Paris Exposition.
- Edward Carpenter, gay activist and advocate of "back to nature" approach as a cure for civilisation problems.
- George Merrill, Carpenter's lifelong companion.
- Emma Goldman, an anarchist known for her political activism, writing, and speeches.
- Emmeline Pankhurst, political activist and leader of the suffragette movement.
- Marie Stopes, family planning pioneer.
- Karl Pearson, mathematician and biostatistician at UCL (Department of Applied Mathematics).
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