This is a blog about the Bronte Sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. And their father Patrick, their mother Maria and their brother Branwell. About their pets, their friends, the parsonage (their house), Haworth the town in which they lived, the moors they loved so much, the Victorian era in which they lived.
From the Treasure Trove: Baby’s Bonnet. It is believed that Charlotte was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her death. This baby bonnet was made for her by her friend Margaret Wooler.
Oh that's so beautiful and reminds me of Charlotte's wedding bonnet interestingly enough
Seems to me Miss Wooler knew Charlote was expecting before anyone outside the Parsonage. She had time to make this lovely cap. Miss Wooler was in Charlotte's confidence far more than is generally thought particularly in the later years of Charlotte's life
While the other important people in Charlotte's life ( Papa and Ellen would not even discuss the idea of marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls seriously , Charlotte was able to talk it over with Miss Wooler in the rational way which she longed to do... I think Miss W heard plenty
This is indicated by Charlotte's writing to Miss Wooler as a married woman in the fall of '54
" faultless my husband is not, but as you know I was not expecting perfection"
Well how would Miss Wooler know such things if CB didn't tell her?
If you read Charlotte's letters to Miss Wooler after her marriage , one gains a much warmer picture of Charlotte's happiness and her love for Arthur than if one just reads her letters to Ellen
Miss Wooler was happy for Charlotte and so Charlotte could be open about her feelings to her
Charlotte would greatly fear to give even a hint of gloating to Ellen and so came the grave warnings about marriage. Was that the full flavor of her thoughts or " more of your absurd charity" as Mary Taylor called this trait of Charlotte's ?
It would be characteristic of Charlotte to down play her happiness as a married woman to a friend who wished for marriage, but had nothing in the offering herself.
How touching Miss Wooler kept this cap the rest of her long life. One can't help feeling the sadness as she packed it away.
And this reminds also me of Charlotte's wedding bonnet.
Both cap and bonnet are sad reminders of what happened... , yet too they let us know : there was a wedding and there was a child and these are great, momentous things, even if they are here but a little while.
Another thing about the speed with which this cap was made....I believe it indicates that Charlotte expressed happiness about the up coming event to Miss Wooler...in some way Miss W quickly felt the go ahead to make the cap.
Or perhaps Miss W wished to foster a happy emotion within CBN with the gift of the cap? Hard to say, but the who and how fast this lovely cap was made is highly significant. Miss Wooler was an insider who could read Charlotte's dry, understatements better than just about anyone.
How often Charlotte wrote to Miss W " I know what you would have said.... or...." I thought just as you would have thought...." . Important communications had to have passed between them for Charlotte to feel that confident she would know what Miss W would say about something
When Charlotte wrote to Ellen in Jan '55 " don't conjecture dear Nell" I'm betting Miss Wooler had no need to conjecture, she already knew. Just as Miss Wooler knew CB had answered Arthur's letters before Ellen did in the summer of '53.
We know Miss Wooler burnt CB letters that "could give pain" So we cannot limit what Miss Wooler knew to what is in the ones that survived.
Oh that's so beautiful and reminds me of Charlotte's wedding bonnet interestingly enough
BeantwoordenVerwijderenSeems to me Miss Wooler knew Charlote was expecting before anyone outside the Parsonage. She had time to make this lovely cap. Miss Wooler was in Charlotte's confidence far more than is generally thought particularly in the later years of Charlotte's life
While the other important people in Charlotte's life ( Papa and Ellen would not even discuss the idea of marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls seriously , Charlotte was able to talk it over with Miss Wooler in the rational way which she longed to do... I think Miss W heard plenty
This is indicated by Charlotte's writing to Miss Wooler as a married woman in the fall of '54
" faultless my husband is not, but as you know I was not expecting perfection"
Well how would Miss Wooler know such things if CB didn't tell her?
If you read Charlotte's letters to Miss Wooler after her marriage , one gains a much warmer picture of Charlotte's happiness and her love for Arthur than if one just reads her letters to Ellen
Miss Wooler was happy for Charlotte and so Charlotte could be open about her feelings to her
Charlotte would greatly fear to give even a hint of gloating to Ellen and so came the grave warnings about marriage. Was that the full flavor of her thoughts or " more of your absurd charity" as Mary Taylor called this trait of Charlotte's ?
It would be characteristic of Charlotte to down play her happiness as a married woman to a friend who wished for marriage, but had nothing in the offering herself.
How touching Miss Wooler kept this cap the rest of her long life. One can't help feeling the sadness as she packed it away.
And this reminds also me of Charlotte's wedding bonnet.
Both cap and bonnet are sad reminders of what happened... , yet too they let us know : there was a wedding and there was a child and these are great, momentous things, even if they are here but a little while.
Another thing about the speed with which this cap was made....I believe it indicates that Charlotte expressed happiness about the up coming event to Miss Wooler...in some way Miss W quickly felt the go ahead to make the cap.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOr perhaps Miss W wished to foster a happy emotion within CBN with the gift of the cap? Hard to say, but the who and how fast this lovely cap was made is highly significant. Miss Wooler was an insider who could read Charlotte's dry, understatements better than just about anyone.
How often Charlotte wrote to Miss W " I know what you would have said.... or...." I thought just as you would have thought...." . Important communications had to have passed between them for Charlotte to feel that confident she would know what Miss W would say about something
When Charlotte wrote to Ellen in Jan '55 " don't conjecture dear Nell" I'm betting Miss Wooler had no need to conjecture, she already knew. Just as Miss Wooler knew CB had answered Arthur's letters before Ellen did in the summer of '53.
We know Miss Wooler burnt CB letters that "could give pain" So we cannot limit what Miss Wooler knew to what is in the ones that survived.