Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, (29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, and are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature. Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte, published in 1857, was the first biography of the eponymous novelist.