Great achievers who went unappreciated during their lifetimes?

Anne Frank

Franz Kafka

Emily Dickinson

J R R Tolkien

Paul Gaugin
Eva Cassidy (by choice)
Samuel Pepys
Anne Frank

Nikola Telsa - he was truly a genious with an understanding of electricity far beyond his time

You've already put together a great list, guys. Here are a few more:

Lise Meitner - was driven out of Germany in the 1930's because she was Jewish, and in exile in Sweden, interpreted Otto Hahn's data, finding out the the nucleus of the atom had actually split! One bright woman! I don't think that she was properly recognised in her lifetime.

Rosalind Franklin - Crick and Watson literally stole her data from her office at London Uni, and they took the credit for the discovery of the structure of DNA, and got the Nobel Prize. Franklin died shortly after this, and her contribution was not fully recognised until after her death. The Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously.

Shakespeare.

Although he was well known in his lifetime as a popular playwright and actor, he was not lauded as England's greatest playwright until after his death. During his life, William Shakespeare was as well known as an actor as he was playwright. He acted as well as wrote plays for companies that included the Lord Chamberlin's Men and later, with accolades, the Kings's Men (women were not yet allowed on stage).

In his day, writers such as Edmund Spenser and Philip Sidney were considered to be a cut above Shakespeare. Fellow playwright and friend Ben Johnson was considered at the time as an equal if not superior talent to Shakespeare.

His widespread reputation as "The Bard" and appreciation for his Sonnets as well as plays came after his death.

Jesus Christ.

Tolkien? What are you talking about? He was popular in his lifetime.

Dickens is an example of somebody who went from popular to unpopular to popular again, if that helps.

H. P. Lovecraft.

Van Gogh - sold 2 paintings in his lifetime - both to his brother but he didnt know that when he sold them. Now, record setting auctions.

Mary Parker Follett

Not a well known name perhaps, but she was writing intelligently in the 1920s about management principles that have only been recognized in the last 10 years. She first talked about "constructive conflict" for example. They call her the prophet of management.

MFM

Einstein was often thought as a complete crackpot by his peers