Adelaide Anne Procter was a prominent English poet and philanthropist of the Victorian era. Her literary career began during her teenage years, and she achieved significant popularity, eventually becoming the favorite poet of Queen Victoria. Her contemporary Coventry Patmore even regarded her as the most widely read poet of her day, second only to Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Procter's work was frequently published in Charles Dickens's periodicals, including Household Words and All the Year Round, as well as in various feminist journals.\n\nProcter's writing was deeply intertwined with her personal convictions and active philanthropy. Following her conversion to Roman Catholicism, her poetry increasingly reflected her commitment to social reform. She dedicated much of her time to helping marginalized groups, and her verses frequently addressed themes of homelessness, poverty, and the plight of "fallen women"—individuals with whom she worked directly through her charitable endeavors.\n\nDespite her immense contemporary success, Procter's literary reputation declined in the twentieth century, largely due to critical neglect of her overtly religious themes. However, modern scholarship has begun to re-evaluate her contributions, highlighting her technical skill and social engagement. Procter never married and suffered from failing health, likely exacerbated by her relentless charitable and literary efforts. She died of tuberculosis in 1864 at the age of thirty-eight.