Changing face of Charlotte Brontë speaks volumes on her cultural role
ADAPTATIONS OF Charlotte Brontë’s only professional portrait can reveal whether an artist sees her primarily as a writer or a woman, according to new research from the University of Sheffield.
The study, led by Dr Amber Regis from the university’s School of English, has revealed how the life portrait of the author, a chalk sketch by George Richmond, has been adapted across its 167-year history.
It highlights how modern society and culture is fascinated with Charlotte’s life and work, and reveals how her changing face has been transformed into a cultural icon that persists across many different cultural contexts.
The only professional portrait of Charlotte Brontë was commissioned by her publisher George Smith and produced in July 1850. Despite her growing celebrity, Charlotte did not allow her portrait to circulate in the press, and she continued to publish under her pseudonym, Currer Bell. Charlotte died in 1855. Two years later, her name and portrait were revealed to the public in Elizabeth Gaskell’s biography, The Life of Charlotte
Brontë. Gaskell highlighted the “parallel currents” of Charlotte’s life – her life as Currer Bell, the author, and her life as Charlotte Brontë, the woman.
Now, Dr Regis’ research has charted how these “parallel currents” can be seen in the portrait’s various adaptations.
Dr Regis said: “The face of Charlotte Brontë remains a fascinating, persistent mystery. How we see her, how we picture her, speaks volumes about how we employ her image to redefine the role of the woman writer.”
The findings are to be discussed at Off the Shelf Festival of Words in Sheffield on Monday.
The face of Charlotte Brontë remains a fascinating mystery. Dr Amber Regis, from the University of Sheffield’s School of English.