No time is ours but the present

Tylko teraźniejszość jest nasza

Eliza Lucas, Angielka z Karaibów żyjąca w XVIII wieku, czyli erze, gdy kobieta miała słuchać mężczyzny, sama była odpowiedzialna za zarządzanie krótko- i długoterminowe rodziną, posiadłością i plantacjami, do tego miała siłę i chęć na eksperymenty.

Jej życie jest łatwo prześledzić dzięki temu, że pisząc listy, nie tylko zachowywała rejestr korespondencji, a także ich kopie przepisywała do notesu. Dzięki temu mamy relację z pierwszej ręki tego, co działo się w życiu Elizy Lucas i jak stała się kobietą menedżerem oraz wynalazczynią techniki uprawy indygowca w Ameryce.

What ever contributes to health and pleasure of mind must also contribute to good looks.

Eliza was born in 1722 in Antigua, an island in the Caribbean Sea and a British Colony. Her father, Lt. Colonel George Lucas owned three sugar plantations, providing his family with wealth and a luxurious life on the island. In those days a sugar planation was a vast and complex organization - part farm and part manufacturing plant - and Eliza’s family was one of the major sugar producers on the island. The Lucas’ decided to make sure that all four children - 2 boys and 2 girls - would acquire a decent and complete education. That was quite unusual for that time, as normally only boys would be sent to school, while girls would be trained in the skills later needed in running a household, as well as the famous ‘three Rs’ (reading, writing, arithmetic). Yet, Eliza and her sister, Polly, were also sent to England to a boarding school, where they apparently proved to be exceptionally talented, hardworking and motivated students. After returning home Eliza’s childhood was what many would picture as paradise, she could play with her sister in the enormous gardens, surrounded by the most beautiful, exotic flowers and fruits, and so she naturally became fascinated with nature. Loved by her parents, taken care of by servants, she enjoyed the perfect environment. So, when her father announced that he had decided to take advantage of his inheritance from his father and move to South Carolina to look after three plantations, it came as a shock to the girl. The ultimate reason that convinced her to go was her father’s promise to arrange a gardener and a botanist to set up a garden for her.