Exhibition "In the Forests of Borneo"
Margaret Brooke, the White Rani
Key personalities | Margaret Brooke, the White Rani (you're here)
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The White Rani in traditional costume, photograph from Margaret Brooke’s album (unpublished), 1897, Natural History Museum of Florence, Botanical Collection.
Margaret Alice Lili de Windt was born in Paris in 1849 and moved to England while still young. At just 20 years old, she decided to marry the second Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Brooke, 20 years her senior, after being captivated by the stories of his adventures in Borneo.
A woman of extraordinary strength and intelligence, she used her privileged position to break taboos, becoming a well-known advocate for women’s rights, universal education, and the remarkable Malay people, whom she came to feel a part of.
Quando ricordo il Sarawak – la sua lontananza, la bellezza sognante del paesaggio, la fiducia infantile che il suo popolo nutre nei governanti – sento il desiderio di prendere la prima nave per tornarci e non lasciarlo mai più. Come sia successo che una giovane ragazza inglese sia entrata in contatto così stretto con il popolo del Sarawak, lo racconto qui: nel 1868, alla morte del primo Rajah inglese del Sarawak, suo nipote e successore venne in Inghilterra e fece visita a mia madre, sua cugina. Al suo ritorno nel Borneo, nei primi anni Settanta, lo accompagnai come sua moglie.
Margaret Brooke, 1913
Margaret met Odoardo at the beginning of 1878, when he, traveling to Australia, managed to arrange a brief reunion in Kuching. In 1897, her second meeting with Odoardo Beccari in Florence proved decisive for the publication of In the Forests of Borneo. As Beccari himself recounts, Margaret encouraged him to compile his travel memories into the book, which was published in Italian in 1902 and in English in 1904:
Certainly, after so many years had passed, I would not have thought of putting together the notes and itineraries of my youthful travels, if a fortunate coincidence had not led me to meet again in Florence the current Rani of Sarawak, H.R.H. Lady Margaret Brooke, who urged me to undertake the work, pointing out how the customs of the inhabitants and the places I had visited still remain, for the most part, in the same primitive state that has endured in Sarawak since who knows how remote a time.
Odoardo Beccari, 1902
On one hand, there was encouragement; on the other, Margaret provided concrete support to Beccar. For the book to succeed, images were necessary, but when the young Odoardo had made his journey, photography was still in its infancy, and he had not had the chance to bring any equipment with him. To fill this gap, it was Margaret herself who took and supplied the photographs, ensuring that they were produced with scientific method and absolute fidelity to the narrative.
The White Rani in traditional costume, photograph from Margaret Brooke’s album (unpublished) 1897, Natural History Museum of Florence. Botanical Collections.