Catharine Macaulay and the Roman matron: republicanism and uses of the past in Georgian England

Between the 1760s and 1780s, the historian Catharine Macaulay carried out a Republican reading of English history in her books, while at the same time being linked in an image to the Roman matron through some public portraits. In this scenario, the Roman Republic is rescued as a source of inspiration for a present that needs again to be able to separate the virtues from the vices in the political arena. In this article I argue that Macaulay used a set of portraits published in the History of England editions, in the History of England in a series of letters or sold in bookstores, as an additional element to merge her with the principles of republicanism, the Roman Republic and the defense of freedom. Recognizing the validity, but also the limitations of the language of the Roman matron for the interpretation of these engravings, I propose that the pictorial narrative assembled by Macaulay seeks to recount the development of her connection with classical Roman republicanism, which begins in her youth, blossoms throughout her life, and culminates in his historical persona fully realized in the History of England.