vrijdag 27 april 2012

The moors shaped their work. But, dear reader, their gardening skills were prosaic at best


 
Their books and poems – even their paintings – evoke the wild beauty that surrounded them at their remote parsonage home. Yet although the Brontë sisters could conjure the elemental splendour of the Yorkshire moors with their pens and brushes, it seems they were sadly lacking when it came to cultivating nature on the small plot outside their home. Research carried out while creating a special Brontë-themed garden for this summer's Chelsea Flower Show has unearthed evidence of the sisters' surprising lack of green-fingered talent. Researchers at the Brontë Parsonage Museum at Haworth, West Yorkshire, discovered repeated references to the women's horticultural failings. 

Among them was one from Charlotte's close friend Emily Nussey who described Haworth in 1871. "The garden, which was nearly all grass, and possessed only a few stunted thorns and shrubs, and a few currant bushes which Emily and Anne treasured as their own bit of fruit garden," she wrote. 
 

 
Two decades earlier James M Hoppin, an early visitor after the cult of the Brontës began to spread after the publication of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, observed "a small flower garden (though rather run to waste now)".
Meanwhile, Charlotte's celebrated chronicler Elizabeth Gaskell, describes the "great change" endured by the author when she moved to Haworth – "a place where neither flowers nor vege- tables would flourish and where a tree of even moderate dimensions might be hunted far and wide".

Tracy Foster, who is designing The Brontës' Yorkshire Garden on behalf of the regional tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire, conceded that the windswept Pennine conditions were very challenging for both people and plants although the garden flourishes today in the hands of a skilled horticulturalist.
 "They were obviously very observant and made many comments about individual plants and flowers in their poems and novels and also painted them in exquisite detail so they were obviously very aware," she said. "But the conditions they had were very difficult and exposed. Maybe they were just too busy producing great literary works to be great gardeners."

The mid-19th century was a thriving time for gardening. The activity had become fashionable among some of the Brontës' better-heeled acquaintances with the arrival of different plant species from far-flung colonies.


Charlotte painted a number of studies of flowers and plants, including wild roses, primulas and even exotic tiger lilies. Her correspondence reveals that Emily, who wrote while sitting on a small stool in the garden, gratefully received seed from Ellen Nussey. Poems such as The Bluebell (The Bluebell is the sweetest flower) and Love and Friendship (Love is like the wild rose-briar) also reveal the women's interest.

The Chelsea garden will have as its centrepiece The Meeting of the Waters – a favourite moorland spot which the sisters would visit as children. Andrew McCarthy, director of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, said: "They were highly attached to the wilderness landscape of the moors rather than the much more cultivated idea of the domesticated garden." Independent

donderdag 26 april 2012

Bronte painting withdrawn from sale in Northamptonshire

 

The sale of a painting believed to show the Bronte sisters has been halted following information that could prove it depicts the literary trio.
The portrait of three women was due to be auctioned in Northamptonshire this week.
But it was withdrawn from sale after a collector came forward about a similar Bronte portrait by the same artist.
The auctioneer said this could prove there was a link between the sisters and the artist, Sir Edwin Landseer.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said: "In light of the new information and its potential significance, we have postponed the sale and will evaluate the strength and implications of what has now come to light.
"This could help prove beyond doubt, the important link between Landseer, one of the 19th century's greatest artists, and the Bronte sisters, English literature's most perennial siblings."
He added: "We can only do our best to prove beyond doubt, and obviously the more information we have the better our conclusion can be." bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england

maandag 23 april 2012

Jane Eyre costumes return to Haddon Hall


Through PeriodDramas.com, we learn that Haddon Hall (outside Bakewell in Derbyshire), the Thornfield of no less than three different Jane Eyre adaptations (Gainsbourg/Hurt 1996Wilson/Stephens 2006Wasikowska/Fassbender 2011), is to have an exhibition of the costumes of said productions. Last year, they displayed costumes from the 2011 production, but now they're getting ones from the previous two as well. Yay!!

If it was just the 2011 costumes, I wouldn't be that tempted to go - been there, seen those - but with the other two adaptations as well ... awwww, I'll totally have to. Just imagine, seeing Rochester's deep green coat ... wow. Also, the 2011 costumes are incredible:  the squeee

zondag 22 april 2012

Zenobia


Zenobia Ellrington was a significant figure in the Brontës' early writing and as a strong, intellectual woman, she was a forerunner of the great Brontë heroines to come. The drawing is also interesting for its connection with the Countess of Blessington, whose portrait is believed to have provided the model. Certainly Lady Blessington's literary career and private life accord well with Zenobia's role in the early writings, and Charlotte would also have been aware of her friendship with Lord Byron, whose influence on the writings of all four Brontë siblings cannot be overestimated. Although Charlotte is famous for her writing rather than her drawing, she did consider a career as a visual artist at one time.
  • Medium: pencil on paper
  • Dimensions: 9 x 7.9cm
  • Art Fund Grant: £2750 ( Total: £11,550)
  • ArtFunded in: 2009
  • Vendor: Private collection

Provenance

Margaret Illingworth; purchased at Dawson's of Pall Mall, late 1960s; private collection; by descent; through Bloomsbury auctions. zenobia-marchioness-ellrington