The only known surviving portrait of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë together has returned to its original home at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, for the first time since 1984, as part of the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Emily Brontë’s birth
The painting was produced by their brother Branwell in 1834 when he was just 17. It was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in 1914 and will be displayed at the Parsonage from 1 June until 31 August 2018.
Often referred to as the ‘pillar portrait’ because it features a central column added by Branwell to obscure his own figure, the painting was kept by Charlotte’s husband, Mr Nicholls, after whose death it was discovered folded up on the top of a cupboard in an Irish farmhouse.
Ann Dinsdale, Principle Curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, commented: “It’s a very special moment for us to welcome back this wonderful portrait. Visitors always ask questions about a copy that we have on display year-round at the Museum and it feels fitting that the original painting has returned home to the Parsonage where it was painted, as part of our year-long celebrations around Emily’s birth.”
Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London added:
“I grew up a few miles from Haworth, used to visit the Parsonage Museum often and look at the reproduction of Branwell Brontë’s portrait of his sisters and read that the original was in London, so I am absolutely delighted that the National Portrait Gallery is lending one of the treasures of its collection back to Haworth as part of the anniversary celebrations for Emily Brontë. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the portrait on display in the family home where it was painted for the first time since 1984.”
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