Letters Home

Ciel Haviland
  • 5.0 (5)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

A podcast that enlivens the letters of the English sisters Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds in 1801-1807 while they were in Madras, India, and enters into conversation with the researchers who investigated their lives.

Episodes

  1. 04/06/2025

    Series Finale with Principal Investigator, Dr. Victoria Dickenson

    Dr. Victoria Dickenson The case study: Lady Gwillim's China The new project: Hidden Hands Welcome to Letters Home, a podcast that explores the lives and interests of Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds, English sisters in India at the turn of the nineteenth century. Over eight episodes, Rosie Noskwith and Amber Craig read letters from the sisters to their family in England, and host Ciel Haviland talks with researchers who explored a facet of the life they were exposed to. The Gwillim Project website The Gwillim Project youtube channel The book! Women, Environment and Networks of Empire

    55 min

  2. 12/15/2024

    The deep detective work of deciphering handwritten letters and art with Dr. Rebekah McCallum and Hana Nikčević

    Scans of the original letters Hana's case studies: 'Best for this country' Curious for fish: Mary Symonds's fish watercolors Gwillim Student Symposium Welcome to Letters Home, a podcast that explores the lives and interests of Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds, English sisters in India at the turn of the nineteenth century. Over eight episodes Rosie Noskwith and Amber Craig read letters from the sisters to their family in England and host Ciel Haviland talks with researches who explored a facet of the life they exposed. The Gwillim Project website The Gwillim Project youtube channel The book! Women, Environment and Networks of Empire

    47 min

  3. 11/24/2024

    How to learn about plants in 1801 with Henry Noltie

    A great chat with Henry Noltie about plants and Elizabeth Gwillim's efforts to master botany and my cat needs to go in and out of the room. For the online symposium on Lady Gwillim's Botany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASrfoZAml2Y&ab_channel=TheGwillimProjectOnline For a fantastic chapter on Indians painting in an English style in Forgotten masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company, edited by William Dalrymple. Welcome to Letters Home, a podcast that explores the lives and interests of Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds, English sisters in India at the turn of the nineteenth century. Over eight episodes Rosie Noskwith and Amber Craig read letters from the sisters to their family in England and host Ciel Haviland talks with researches who explored a facet of the life they exposed. The Gwillim Project website The Gwillim Project youtube channel The book! Women, Environment and Networks of Empire

    45 min
  4. Is it Costume or Dress? Talking about the history of clothing with a dynamic trio

    11/10/2024

    Is it Costume or Dress? Talking about the history of clothing with a dynamic trio

    Please enjoy this episode, where we get into English and Indian historic dress at the turn of the 19th century through Mary and Elizabeth’s letters with Alexandra Kim, Dr. Ann Wass, and Dr. Toolika Gupta. Webinar: "My Things from the Ship are All Come Safe" and Case study: “Best for this country”: Limerick Gloves

    50 min
  5. The Birds of South India and Elizabeth’s Watercolors with Dr. S. Subramanya

    10/27/2024

    The Birds of South India and Elizabeth’s Watercolors with Dr. S. Subramanya

    Digital collection of Elizabeth Gwillim's watercolors of birds at McGill Rare Books and Special Collections here. More information at the Gwillim Project here. For more information Hidden Hands in Colonial Natural Histories, find their website here.

    39 min
  6. Henry Gwillim and 19th Century English Law in India with Arthur MacGregor

    10/13/2024

    Henry Gwillim and 19th Century English Law in India with Arthur MacGregor

    For more on Henry Gwillim, some brief biographical information can be found here on the Gwillim Project website. There is also a Youtube symposium Personal Histories Revealed, which includes a presentation from Arthur MacGregor on Henry Gwillim. More work from the prolific Arthur MacGregor: St Helena: An Island Biography (2024) The India Museum Revisited (2023) Company Curiosities: Nature, culture and the East India Company, 1600–1874 (2018)

    49 min
  7. A Decolonizing Lens and Centering the Indian Perspective with Dr. Minakshi Menon

    09/29/2024

    A Decolonizing Lens and Centering the Indian Perspective with Dr. Minakshi Menon

    Dr. Menon's introduction to the special edition of South Asian History and Culture can be read here (open access): Indigenous knowledges and colonial sciences in South Asia For a symposium on those who were in the background of the letters: Missing Voices: South Asian Perspectives on the Gwillim Archives other pieces: What’s in a name? William Jones, ‘philological empiricism’ and botanical knowledge making in eighteenth-century India Chapter in Histories of Medicine and Healing in the Indian Ocean World

    45 min
  8. Elizabeth and Mary in context with Dr. Anna Winterbottom

    09/15/2024

    Elizabeth and Mary in context with Dr. Anna Winterbottom

    Dr. Anna Winterbottom helps me to put the lives of Elizabeth and Mary in context of their place and time: what was India? What was science? How does one do that research? All of Dr. Anna Winterbottom's articles and publications can be found here. Information on her book: Hybrid Knowledge in the Early East India Company World. Welcome to Letters Home, a podcast that explores the lives and interests of Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds, English sisters in India at the turn of the nineteenth century. Over eight episodes Rosie Noskwith and Amber Craig read letters from the sisters to their family in England and host Ciel Haviland talks with researches who explored a facet of the life they exposed. The Gwillim Project website The Gwillim Project youtube channel The book! Women, Environment and Networks of Empire

    45 min
  9. Welcome to Letters Home!

    TRAILER

    Welcome to Letters Home!

    Welcome to Letters Home, a podcast that explores the lives and interests of Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds, English sisters in India at the turn of the nineteenth century. Over eight episodes Rosie Noskwith and Amber Craig read letters from the sisters to their family in England and host Ciel Haviland talks with researches who explored a facet of the life they exposed. The Gwillim Project website The Gwillim Project youtube channel The book! Women, Environment and Networks of Empire

    3 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

A podcast that enlivens the letters of the English sisters Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds in 1801-1807 while they were in Madras, India, and enters into conversation with the researchers who investigated their lives.

Information

  • Creator
    Ciel Haviland
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Letters Home
  • Show Website
    Letters Home