Self-portrait, Sara Hennell (1812-1889)

Sara Hennell was born in Hackney, London in 1812. She first met George Eliot (then Mary Ann Evans) in 1842 at Rosehill, the Coventry home of her sister and brother-in-law, Cara and Charles Bray. Sara and Mary Ann became friends and corresponded regularly for the next 12 years. In 1851 Sara moved to Coventry with her mother, living next door to the Brays. Sara worked as a governess and was also a published author and translator.