Selina Bracebridge

Bracebridge, Selina née Mills, c.1803—1874

by Benjamin Colbert

Selina Mills was the daughter of William Mills. In 1824, she married Charles Holte Bracebridge (1799-c.1872), whose family friend, Florence Nightingale (1820-1910; ODNB), formed a lasting attachment with the couple, deeming Selina her 'spiritual mother'. An amateur artist, Selina studied drawing under Samuel Prout and with her husband enjoyed travelling, spending much of the 1830s resident at Athens. During these years she also served on the Committee of the London Benevolent Repository for the aid of those suffering 'reversals of fortune'. In the winter of 1847-48, the Bracebridges travelled with Nightingale to Rome, and the same party toured Egypt, Greece, and other parts of Europe in 1849-50. After the Crimean War broke out, the Bracebridges also accompanied Nightingale to Scutari in November 1854.

Sources:

McDonald, Lynn, ed. The Collected Works of Florence Nightingale. Vol 7: Florence Nightingale’s European Travels. Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfred Laurier Press, 2004. 775-76. Print.

McDonald, Lynn, ed. The Collected Works of Florence Nightingale. Vol 8: Florence Nightingale on Women, Medicine, Midwifery and Prostitution. Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfred Laurier Press, 2005. 525-44. Print.

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