Elizabeth Sheridan's Post‐Celebrity

This article explores the post‐celebrity career of Elizabeth Sheridan, revealing her involvement in politics and scandal, alongside her experiences of disease, disaster and disappointment. Rather than become merely the object of distant adoration after her marriage, Sheridan entered into ‘secret service' for the Whigs. While her activities are significant, the article focuses on Sheridan's tactical appropriation of ‘privacy'. It was by claiming to be private that Sheridan justified her diverse endeavours. Her dextrous self‐presentation reveals not just the critical importance of privacy but also the ways in which it was deployed within the competing cultures of celebrity and Whig politics.