Page:A cyclopaedia of female biography.djvu/700

 Miss Sedgwick is evidently an ardent admirer of nature, and excels in describing natural scenery. She has also great powers both of invention and imagination, and delineates character with wonderful skill. Her children are, to a certain point, beautifully and naturally described; but there are in the mind of this writer two antagonistic principles—the usefully practical and the sentimentally romantic This is by no means uncommon with delicate and refined minds; they like to deviate into regions beyond the everyday world, yet sense and circumstances recall them to common truths; hence arise little discrepancies which mar in some degree the naturalness of the delineations. Miss Edgeworth is almost the only writer of children's books who has entirely avoided this fault; but it is difficult to arrive at this excellence, and it is no disparagement to Miss Sedgwick to say she has not attained it. With every abatement that can be made. Miss Sedgwick remains among the front rank of those earnest and sincere writers whose talents have been employed for the purpose of doing good, and whose works have obtained great and deserved popularity. Her books have, almost without exception, been reprinted and favourably received in this country.

SEGUIER, ANNE DE, to Pierre Seguier, whose family gave to France so many illustrious magistrates, married Francis du Prat, Baron de Thiers, by whom she had two daughters, Anne and Philippine, who were educated in the court of Henry the Third of France. Anne de Seguier was a celebrated poetess; she was living in 1573. Her daughters, also, were distinguished for their literary attainments, and for their skill in the Greek and Latin languages.

SEIDELMANN, APOLLONIA, wife of James Seidelmann, Professor of the Fine Arts at the academy of Dresden. In Venice, her native city, she had received instructions in drawing, and afterwards perfected herself in this accomplishment under the direction of her husband. In the year 1790, she went with him to Italy, where she devoted herself for three years to miniature painting, assisted by the celebrated Teresa Maron, sister of Raphael Mengs. After her return to Dresden, she painted more after the manner of her husband, and showed herself a rare artist, by her fine copies of the best pictures of the academy. One of her master copies is the Madonna of Raphael. The eminent talent of this artistic couple for conversation deserves to be mentioned likewise; their soirées, which they gave abroad and at home, and to which their charming daughter, Luise Seidelmann, aided greatly by her musical powers, were the delight of all who loved genius and art.

SELLON, LYDIA. lady deserves a place in our record of female excellence and ability, as one who has devoted her means, talents, and energies to the work of charity and benevolence. She is the daughter of an officer of the royal navy of Britain, and possessed of considerable property, who, deeply moved by the destitute condition of the lower classes as regards education, responded to the srirring [sic] appeal put forth some years ago by the Bishop of Exeter, for help required in his diocese to teach and elevate the ignorant and debased. With