Elizabeth Gaskell was an English author. She was born on September 29, 1810. If you enjoy British period pieces (as I do), you may have seen the following adaptations of her works:

Born in London, she married a Unitarian minister in 1832 and they had four daughters. They lived in Manchester, and Elizabeth often included industrial scenes in her works. Elizabeth was friends with Charlotte Bronte, and wrote a biography of her in 1857. She was also friends with Charles Dickens, who published some of her works in his magazine. Elizabeth died at age 55 from a heart attack.