Exhibition at Sir John Soane's Museum, London
Charlotte Brontë at the Soane is an imaginative and fascinating free display which is inspired by the five trips Brontë made to London in the 1840s and ‘50s to see her publisher after the meteoric success of Jane Eyre. Curated by artist Charlotte Cory, the show brings together an incredible selection of objects: from the personal effects Brontë brought with her to London, to Cory’s own artworks inspired by these visits to the capital.
Visitors will be able to see the guidebook Brontë used to explore the city - featuring Sir John Soane’s Museum - and a dress that she wore to a dinner with her publisher; the first time the dress has returned to London since she wore it. Also, on display for the first time ever are newly discovered sketches of the Brontë sisters, drawn by their sister Anne.
Although Charlotte Brontë’s busy itinerary meant that she didn’t make it to the Museum, we are one of the few places in her guidebook which remain the same today as on her visits in the mid-nineteenth century. This show is therefore a unique opportunity to bring Brontë to the Museum for the first time, and to reflect on the Soane’s position on London’s tourist trail – frozen in time – for the past 180 years.
This exhibition does not take place at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, and is organised and hosted by Sir John Soane's Museum, London.