British poet and painter Anne Killigrew was born in London. Her father was a clergyman with a position at Westminster Abbey, and she was a maid of honor to Mary of Modena, Duchess of York, in the court of Charles II. Exposed from an early age to life at court, she was also taken to the theater, and her uncles even wrote plays. Killigrew was the subject of an ode by the poet John Dryden. She died of smallpox at the age of 25. Published after her death, her poetry shows her familiarity with court life and society.