Anne Lister, often referred to as the "first modern lesbian", was a remarkable figure of the 19th century. Born in 1791 in Halifax, England, Lister was a landowner, diarist, and traveller, defying social norms with her unapologetic embrace of her sexuality and her refusal to conform to gender expectations.

Her extensive diaries, comprising over four million words, provide an intimate glimpse into her life, documenting her romantic relationships with women, her business dealings, and her travels across Europe.

Lister's complex personality and audacious spirit challenged the conventions of her time, making her a pioneering figure in LGBTQ+ history whose legacy continues to inspire and resonate with people around the world.

ABOUT US

Hello and welcome to The Outrageous Peacock.
 
We wanted to express our gratitude to Harveys of Halifax for allowing us to create a special bespoke collection, Inspirations of Halifax, to celebrate the life of Anne Lister, one of Halifax's most prominent and distinguished residents.
 
Here's a little information about us and the journey to create our first white-label home fragrance collection for a client.
 
Our home fragrance journey started in 2020 as a hobby during lockdown. Harper (our daughter) and Pappi had a go at making bath bombs and loved experimenting with different smells and colours. We love our home to smell nice so Daddy asked if they could make room for fragrance for the house as he couldn't get out to the shops for a sniff as picking up fragrances in the shops was banned.
 
Once they created their first room fragrance they decided to also have a go at wax melts and candles for our friends and family. The homemade gifts went down well and were soon being re-ordered. As a joke, Daddy suggested that they should start to think about having a go at creating a brand and selling to a broader audience. Oh Daddy you have such great ideas!
 
The Outrageous Peacock was hatched.
 
We decided at the beginning to be a business as eco-credible as we could be, so our products are vegan, and all of our ingredients are ethically and, where possible, locally sourced & we don't use any plastic in our packaging unless we are recycling packaging from our suppliers. Harper is teaching us about the world around us as she grows and learns for herself how to respect our environment.

INSPIRATIONS OF HALIFAX

Our relationship with Harveys of Halifax began when they became stockists of The Outrageous Peacock in 2023.
 
Our Regency Collection brought up the possibility of creating a collection of candles and home fragrances based around one of Halifax's most prominent and distinguished residents, Anne Lister.
 
Our base idea was to create for Harveys a collection of 3 fragrances to represent Anne Lister, her wife Ann Walker and their home Shibden Hall.
After much perfume sniffing and research into fragrances of the past, the next meeting at Harveys of Halifax was to introduce a selection of fragrance choices to create the parts of the collection.
 
Anne Lister became a beautiful fragrance of natural lavender and leather, as Anne preferred more equestrian outfits to the dress code of society at the time. We took our inspiration from the leather fragrance of riding boots and carriages and entwined the fresh fragrance of lavender which was very popular at the time.
 
Anne Lister, often referred to as the "first modern lesbian", was a remarkable figure of the 19th century. Born in 1791 in Halifax, England, Lister was a landowner, diarist, and traveller, defying social norms with her unapologetic embrace of her sexuality and her refusal to conform to gender expectations.
 
Her extensive diaries, comprising over four million words, provide an intimate glimpse into her life, documenting her romantic relationships with women, her business dealings, and her travels across Europe.
Lister's complex personality and audacious spirit challenged the conventions of her time, making her a pioneering figure in LGBTQ+ history whose legacy continues to inspire and resonate with people around the world.
 
Ann Walker was chosen as a floral creation of clean fresh Japanese Wisteria, mixed with the heady scent of orange flowers, interlaced with invigorating bergamot and rich cedar. This blend gives the fragrance a fresh smell of soap and captures the fragrance of a lady of the 1800s.
 
Shibden Hall is recreated with an intoxicating fragrance of charcoal and oak. A multi-layered scent opening with deep smoky charcoal tones and spicy nuances of crushed clove buds. A floral whisper embraces a heart and base woven from roasted oak, cedar, guaiac wood and earthy patchouli brushed with musk and smooth accords of cashmeran.

OUR FIRST WHITE LABEL

We have created a selection of candles, wax melt gift boxes, individual pick-and-mix wax melts and also home fragrance room diffusers. All with modern packaging and labels to create a stylish but historical appearance to the collection. All our packaging is ethically manufactured using either 100% recycled or FSC-certified board, helping to reduce the carbon footprint.
 
Anne Lister of Shibden Hall (1791-1840) was a remarkable woman who has left an even more remarkable written legacy which intrigues and inspires people all over the world.
 
Credit: The West Yorkshire Archive Service.