Eliza Draper's tomb in Bristol Cathedral before 1893

This is an anonymous engraving of Eliza Draper's tomb in Bristol Cathedral. It invites us to consider 18th-century colonial society through the life—and afterlife—of a woman caught between continents and cultures. Eliza was born in India, married to a British East India Company official, and later became known for her passionate correspondence with Laurence Sterne. Their letters, filled with longing and affection, offer a glimpse into the complexities of desire, societal expectations, and the constraints placed on women like Eliza who transgressed social boundaries. The monument itself, though grand, could also be interpreted as a final attempt to contain Eliza within the narrative deemed acceptable by her society. It reflects the ambivalent position of women whose lives spanned different worlds, whose desires challenged the colonial patriarchy. Consider how Eliza's story resonates with broader themes of identity, exile, and the search for belonging, and how her tomb becomes a site where personal emotions intersect with the grand narratives of empire.