The most significant reference to Emma playing the harp is recorded by Nelson's Chaplain at Trafalgar in 'Nelson's Spy? -- The Life of Alexander Scott', published 1842, p.225, which discussed Emma's difficulty thus: ..two or three years' retirement in Wales, upon a small annuity, would suffice to release her from all difficulties [ie.financial]. Into Wales she accordingly went, but it was only for a short season;- the harp and the viol were soon resounding from her lighted apartments [back] in Bond Street,.... Following his death and with no other means of support, Emma began to sell possesions, including one large disposal at Christie's, St. James's on the 8^th and 9^th June, 1809 and many smaller, private transactions. As a redundant luxury, this harp is thought to have been one of those items so disposed. The single-action harp gave way to the much superior double-action harp in the early 19^th century, and indeed this example shows very little sign of having been actually played, not only retaining its original sound board (these were prone to splitting, and being replaced) but also having none of the left-leaning warp usually associated with fragile instruments being pulled down over the years by strings exerting up to a ton of pressure on the frame. Likely kept as a souvenir from a remarkable historical character, the brass attribution plate, now much worn, shows signs of having been in place a great deal of time, and was most likely placed there by the friend who purchased the instrument from her, probably as a favour, to help her during financial hardship.