Born July 14, 1868,
Washmgton Hall, Durham, England
Died July 11, 1926,
Baghdad, Iraq

Gertrude Bell traveled extensively in the Middle East at a time when few women had the opportunity to journey so far from home. She became a well-known figure in the Middle East and Arabia, wrote several books, and even founded a museum. Her thorough knowledge of the region’s geography was of great importance to the British government during and after World War I.

Born in the county of Durham, England, on July 14, 1868, Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist who owned an ironworks. After her mother died in childbirth two years later, Bell was raised by a stepmother. At the age of 16 Bell attended Queens College; she went on to Lady Margaret Hall, a women’s college at Oxford University, where she graduated with high honors in history.

Early travels in the Middle East