Emily Franklin

Emily Franklin writes American novels and poetry for readers across age groups. The Lioness of Boston, published in 2023, imagines the life of art collector and museum founder Isabella Stewart Gardner. Franklin begins with Gardner's arrival in Boston as a young married woman and follows her resistance to the narrow expectations of the city's established society. The novel connects personal loss, travel, collecting, and cultural ambition to the eventual creation of the museum that bears Gardner's name. Franklin's background in poetry is visible in the book's close attention to rooms, clothing, landscapes, and works of art, yet the narrative remains centered on character rather than display. She has published more than twenty books, and The Lioness of Boston is historical fiction based on Gardner's life. The book gives Franklin a way to explore how an unconventional woman turned private taste into a lasting public institution.