Sara Monckton Prinsep

Sara Monckton Prinsep born Sara Monckton Pattle (16 August 1816 – 5 December 1887) was the leader of the Little Holland House salon in Kensington. She was a patron of George Frederick Watts.

Life Prinsep was born in Kolkata in 1816. Sara and her sisters learned Hindustani and they also spent time in England and significantly with their maternal grandparents in Versailles. The sisters did not follow convention, and their closeness and influence was nicknamed "Pattledom". It was said that she and Julia particularly, tried to organise and interfere with other people.

Sara was known as Dash, her sister Julia Margaret Cameron was nicknamed "Talent" and another sister Virginia was called "Beauty". Few records remain of the salon

Prinsep died in 1887 in Brighton.

Family

On 14 May 1835, she married and they had one daughter, three sons and an adopted daughter: Alice Marie Prinsep who married Charles Gurney, son of Daniel Gurney (1791–1880) Sir Henry Thoby Prinsep, a judge of the high court at Calcutta, in March 1904, he was made a Knights Commander of India (KCIE). Valentine Cameron Prinsep, RA Arthur Haldimand Prinsep CB, major-general of the Bengal cavalry May Prinsep was her husband's orphaned niece

Legacy In 2025-2026 the Watts Gallery near Guildford held an exhibition 'Women of Influence: The Pattle Sisters' exploring the lives, influence, and legacy of the seven Anglo-Indian Pattle sisters.