The Funeral courtege of Algernon Charles Swinburne (1937-1909) at Ventnor, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England, passing the Terminus Hotel. Swinburne was a poet, playwright, novelist and contributed to the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. A controversial figure at the time, Swinburne wrote about many taboo topics, such as lesbianism, cannibalism, sado-masochism, and anti-theism.