Emma Hamilton (1765-1815) is widely known as a temptress who ensnared the naval hero Horatio Nelson, and paid the price by dying in poverty in Calais. But this epic love affair, and the judgements surrounding it, have obscured a spectacular life story. From humble origins, Emma first rose to fame as the gifted and beautiful model of the great portrait painter George Romney. Entering aristocratic circles as a mistress, she married Sir William Hamilton,...