Isa Blagden

Isa or Isabella Jane Blagden (30 June 1816 or 1817 – 20 January 1873) was an English-language novelist and poet born in the East Indies or India, who spent much of her life among the English community in Florence.

Life

Blagden's father's first name is given as Thomas in the records of the Florentine Protestant cemetery and her nationality as Swiss, but she was widely thought to be the illegitimate offspring of an English father and an Indian mother. This seemed to be confirmed by an Oriental appearance. There is circumstantial evidence that she was born in Calcutta, the natural daughter of one Thomas Bracken and of a Eurasian, possibly named Blagden. Little is known firmly about her before she arrived in 1850 in Florence, where she soon became a feature of the English community. She was probably educated at Louisa Agassiz's Ladies School near Regent's Park, London, which was favoured by English parents in India.

In Florence Blagden had a comfortable income (possibly an allowance from her father and later his estate) and was remembered as a kind, generous friend, notably to the Browning, Bulwer-Lytton and Trollope families. She is said to have occupied "a unique place in the Brownings’ circle by virtue of her intimacy with both poets." She may have been romantically involved with Robert Bulwer-Lytton, the poet son of the novelists Edward Bulwer-Lytton and his wife Rosina, after nursing him in 1857.

Isabella

Isabella may refer to:

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Isabella (given name)

Isabella is a feminine given name, which is the Latinised form of Elizabeth. It may refer to:

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Isabella (grape)

The Isabella grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis labrusca or 'fox grape' which is used for table, juice and wine production.

Appearance and use

The skin of Isabella when ripened is a dark purple, almost black with a tender green-yellow flesh. It has large well formed fruit clusters with thick bloom. It is a slip skin variety, meaning that the skin separates easily from the fruit. The grapes are used to make wine, most notably Uhudler and Fragolino. The Isabella being of the genus Vitis x Labruscana imparts a "foxiness" to the wine and because of this is thought to be objectionable, therefore it is not seen as a grape capable of making fine wines. For the table the flavour is good though with the astringent tough skin and "foxy" aroma is objectionable for some tastes.

The deciduous vine is very easy to propagate. When the vine is bare of leaves in winter, it is good to prune the vine back by about one-third. Save the branches that are 15 cm long and pencil-thick. Cut straight across at the proximal end (nearest the root), and oblique at the distal end. Put a bundle of about 10 cuttings in potting mix, the flat ends down, and keep reasonable moist throughout winter. They will sprout leaves and roots in spring. Divide and plant out.