Harriet Low

Harriet Low Hillard
Harriet Low, 1833 by George Chinnery
Born	18 May 1809 Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Died	Brooklyn, New York
Nationality	American
Known for	Macau journal, 1829–1833
Spouse(s)	John Hillard
Children	Katharine Mary Louise Ellen Harriet 1 other daughter 3 sons (2 were twins and died at a young age)
Parent(s)	Seth Low Mary Porter Low
Relatives	Abiel Abbot Low, brother William Henry Low, uncle Abbot Augustus Low, nephew Seth Low, nephew

Harriett Low Hillard (18 May 1809 – 1877) was an American woman of letters and diarist. From 1829 to 1833 she lived in the Portuguese colony of Macau on the South China coast and she and her sickly aunt became the first American women to go to China. During her stay from 1829 to 1833, she wrote a journal in the form of letters to her older sister Molly (Mary Ann, 1808–1851), and became acquainted with many of the influential individuals in the colony. After her return to the United States, she married and moved to London, returning to New York with her husband and five daughters in 1848. Her journal is now part of the Low-Mills collection in the Library of Congress.

She was born Harriet Low, the second of twelve children of Seth and Mary Porter Low, in Salem, Massachusetts. Her father was a well-to-do merchant and owner of a successful shipping business among the ports of Salem, New York, London, and Canton (modern-day Guangzhou). A leading citizen of Brooklyn, Seth Low was one of the founders of the Unitarian church in that city. As one of four daughters in a large family, Harriet engaged in many household tasks, including sewing and mending.

In 1829 her uncle, American trader William Henry Low, and his wife Abigail Knapp Low (1795–1834), prepared to move to China for a five-year stay. While William Henry Low would be managing business interests for Russell & Co. in Canton, which was off-limits to women, his wife would be staying in Macau. They asked Harriet to accompany them and provide companionship for her aunt. The party boarded the Sumatra for a four-month voyage across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which included a three-week stopover in Manila. Harriet arrived in Macau on September 29, 1829, and took up residence at 2, Pátio da Sé, at the top of Calçada de S. João. She soon became acquainted with many of the well-known residents of Macau, including the painter George Chinnery, who painted her portrait; the Hong Merchant Mowqua; and the surgeon Thomas Richardson Colledge. Through her uncle's connections, she also became familiar with all the employees of the East India Company along with other prosperous British merchants in the city. As the only unmarried young woman in the colony, she was invited to many "fancy balls, dances, teas and dinners".

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