Esther Vanhomrigh

Who was Esther Vanhomrigh?

Esther Vanhomrigh, an Irish woman of Dutch descent, was a longtime lover and correspondent of Jonathan Swift. Swift's letters to her were published after her death. Her fictional name “Vanessa” was created by Swift by taking Van from her surname, Vanhomrigh, and adding Esse, the pet form of her first name, Esther.

She was fictionalized as “Vanessa” in Swift's poem Cadenus and Vanessa. In the poem, he wrote: