I, Vera: Miranda Seymour in conversation with Lisa Appignanesi

A forgotten figure at the intersection of medical, military and LGBTQ+ history takes centre stage at the Hunterian Museum this Pride Month

5.30- 6.45pm: Special late access to the Hunterian Museum

7.00 - 8.15pm: I, Vera: Miranda Seymour in conversation with Lisa Appignanesi

Join acclaimed biographer Miranda Seymour in conversation with Lisa Appignanesi, writer and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature, for an evening uncovering the extraordinary life of Vera Gedroits.

A pioneering battlefield surgeon, social reformer and openly lesbian princess, Gedroits was one of the most remarkable medical figures of her time, yet her achievements and identity were deliberately erased from official histories. Drawing on her new biography, I, Vera, Miranda Seymour brings to life how Gedroits broke medical ground in the nineteenth century while navigating life as an openly lesbian woman in a deeply conservative society.

Set within the atmospheric surroundings of the Lumley Library and Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, with exclusive pre-talk access to the Hunterian Museum’s extraordinary collections.

What people are saying about I, Vera:

The history of an amazing woman set in the history of a continent at a time of great turmoil… a compelling read and beautifully written
Professor Dame Averil Mansfield, DBE ChM FRCS FRCP

A wonderful and unputdownable book about an astonishing woman
Mel Giedroyc

Part of the Hunterian Provocations series, this Pride Month event invites visitors to rediscover Gedroits' legacy and consider why her lif and work still matter today.