Painting by John Collier, 1898.
« Lady Godiva was married to Leofric, Earl of Mercia, both real historical figures, although the famous story of her naked ride through the streets of Coventry is likely to be a myth. Leafric was a powerful nobleman, who gradually assumed control of the city’s financial affairs and imposed a system of heavy taxation. According to the legend, his wife begged him to lower the taxes that were crippling the townsfolk, and he agreed on condition that she ride naked through the streets. The townsfolk drew their curtains and deserted the streets so as to minimize Godiva’s embarrassment, but one boy called Tom peeped through his window, and so the expression « peeping Tom » was born. »