Abigails Ateliers gives her impression on the new Bronte Photograph.

Geri from the excellent Bronte Blog ""Kleurrijkbrontesisters blog""  is running an exciting  post on a possible new Bronte image.
 

I have been asked for my opinion.

I feel it would be wonderful for these sisters to be the Brontes, they look vibrant and despite the prim faces  somehow happy, they feel as though they are playing to the camera and having great fun.
 

I dont however think the costumes are correct for even Charlottes life time, the capes /mantles and the hair of the two seated ladies  seem ok  but the hair style and the  little hat on the central figure is very similare to many  from late 1850s and early 1860s  fashion plates and is unlikely to have been around earlier as hats slowly replaced bonnets in the later half of victorias reign.
 

Here is in addition as far as we  know no record of a similare  hat in the Parsonage costumes collection, there are several bonnets but the only hat is a pretty little straw one which looks later and which  I think belonged to Ellen Nusey. The hair style of the standing  lady also seemed  to be very like that of the ladies in the 1860s fashion plates especially the lady in green in the first of the 1860s plates. We  thought the styles of the seated ladies were  fairly close to early 1850s styles or very late 1840s styles  but  confess its an arkward era for  middle class hairstyles study  from primary sources  as usualy fashion plates show ladies either in bonnets, caps or full evening dress with flowers etc in their hair. I hope that this short post may have been useful,

Abigail Bell
 

Thank you so much Abigail. I am very happy with your comment. 
Please read more on Abigails Ateliers. Here you can see also interesting fashionpictures.