Emmuska Orczy

Órczy, born Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi, was a Hungarian-British novelist and artist of noble origin. She is best known for her novel series featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel, a fictional hero who rescues French nobles from the guillotine during the French Revolution. Born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, Órczy was the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris and later studied at the West London School of Art.

In 1905, Órczy's novel The Scarlet Pimpernel became a favorite of British audiences and solidified her reputation as a successful author. She was also an accomplished artist and had her works exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. During the First World War, Órczy founded the Women of England's Active Service League, an organization that focused on enlisting female volunteers for active service.

Órczy's first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924. She married Montague Barstow in 1894, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales. Órczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines and she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.