I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas: they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind.
Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights

zaterdag 1 februari 2014

Apothecary

New Exhibtion for 2014: The Brontës and Animals

New Exhibtion for 2014: The Brontës and Animals
For several months now, the curatorial team have been preparing the new exhibition, ‘The Brontës and Animals’, which will open on 20th February. Collections Manager Ann Dinsdale, Library and Collections Officer Sarah Laycock, and Curatorial Intern Mari Elliott have been working tirelessly in researching and putting together the exhibition. The Brontës were great lovers of animals and were very fond of their family pets. The Brontë children were hugely influenced by the presence of their pets when growing up and many of their creative works were inspired by them, from their early drawings to their later writing. Often, the Brontës had a tendency to assess people’s characters by the way they treated animals, as they felt cruelty to animals equated to a cruel disposition. This exhibition explores the relationship the Brontës had with animals and how this is reflected in their works.

Flossie running on the moors by Emily Brontë
Grasper from Life by Emily Brontë
Keeper from Life by Emily Brontë
 
Bronte Society December/ January eNewsletter

Bronte Parsonage's interns....

Good-bye to the Bronte Parsonage's first interns....
This month we say farewell to our very first interns, Mari Elliott and Jordan Blackman, who have been with us since August and September 2013 respectively. We wish them all the best for the future as they reflect on their experience here.
Jordan Blackman
Jordan said 'I have been extremely fortunate with my time here at the Parsonage. I have met some fantastic people and taken part in great events. I have gained a lot of experience in many different areas of the museum. I have primarily split my time between two departments, education and contemporary arts. I helped with the research and running of craft and family events, as well as school groups and talks. I was also fortunate enough to help with exhibitions and even had the opportunity to interview Brontë scholar and artist, Charlotte Cory. I have really enjoyed my time here and will be sad to leave, although I am sure I'll be back regularly as a visitor!'
... and hello to the new Brontë Interns!
This month we have also welcomed two new interns – Hermione Williams and Lauren Livesey
Hermione studied Classics at Nottingham University and then studied for an MA in Classics at Durham. She has always been interested in conservation and heritage of artefacts. For October and November she volunteered at the Parsonage before being accepted onto the internship programme. Hermione, having visited the Parsonage regularly when she was younger 'is 'delighted to have the opportunity to work in such an iconic museum and learn how it runs'
Lauren has been fascinated by the Brontës from a young age. She studied English Literature at Exeter University before taking an MA in the Study of the Country House, with a particular focus on the importance of the house in Victorian literature.  Previously she has worked at Kentwell Hall in Suffolk, and as events assistant at Harewood House, but is now looking forward to working with the collections at the Brontë Parsonage and gaining valuable experience in this field. Lauren said she “feels truly privileged to be able to work in such close proximity to the Parsonage’s unique collection. This is an amazing opportunity, and I am really looking forward to the next five months.”
Bronte Society December/ January eNewsletter
 
                                       
 

vrijdag 31 januari 2014

Designs for Jane Eyre 2006:

At the Andrea Galer Fashion Store we can find some of her designs for Jane Eyre 2006:
Coat - Red Velvet

Andrea Galer’s collection is ethically produced and is designed to fit the female form flawlessly. Romantically styled timeless designs married with re-occurring themes through the decades to today’s styles and trends. The long red velvet coat completes the most sophisticated of looks.
It has been worn by Christina Cole in Jane Eyre.Stylish and classy
Created in our London based studio.
Modeled here by Tara Fitzgerald

Jane Eyre Tweed Jacket

The Jacket was worn by one of the Dent Twin in Jane Eyre and it beautifully pays homage to the essence of country living.
Available in Harris Tweed.
By appointment at our studio we provide the unique opportunity to choose the style, colour and fabric of your choice
Designed and created in our London based studio.

Via the  bronteblog

dinsdag 28 januari 2014

Curatorial intern Mari Elliott resets the dining room

 
See, Charlotte's portrait is hanging again on his place
And we can see the new wallpaper. Do you like it?
 
 
Curatorial intern Mari Elliott resets the dining room during our closed period under the watchful lens of a visiting photographer.
 

Brontë Society GAZETTE

 
I received this morning my Brontë Society GAZETTE. (Issue 61 September 2013)
So pleased and proud. Have you got yours?

Unfinished study of Flossy (1840-45


From the Treasure Trove: unfinished study of Flossy (1840-45), by either Charlotte or Anne Bronte (attribution uncertain).


In the run up to the opening of the new exhibition 'The Brontes and Animals', The Bronte parsonage Museum will be posting a selection of animal-themed posts over the coming weeks.

maandag 27 januari 2014

Haworth Parish Church News is 'stopping the presses after 115 years

The Telegraph reports that the Haworth Parish Church News is 'stopping the presses after 115 years'.
Church leaders fear the writing is on the wall for traditional church magazines after one of the oldest in the country closes after more than 100 years.
For more than 150 years, England's parish rags were first port of call for anyone wanting the latest gossip or date of the next WI meeting.
But now they are falling victim to the digital age and one of the oldest, the parish magazine at the Brontes former home of Haworth, West Yorkshire, flourished in the aftermath of the sisters' literary legacy, is to close. [...]
Only 200 copies of each edition of the Haworth magazine were printed – and half were usually thrown away.
Haworth vicar Rev Peter Mayo-Smith said: "It is costing us a lot of money and like all organisations we have to make hard decisions about spending."
No one really knew how old the magazine was and its roots could extend back to the Brontes, he said, adding: "We have to take into account the Bronte connection.haworthchurchhaworthchurch

zondag 26 januari 2014

Tea with the Brontes


Charlotte Cory’s exhibition “Capturing the Brontes”, is an imaginative, witty and informative exploration of the family and the history of early photography, drawing on the Victorian craze for collecting cartes des visite – portraits once produced in their millions and now discarded. The exhibition has been in situ at the Bronte Parsonage Museum, Haworth in Yorkshire and will be available as an exclusive preview at The Gilbert Scott before it continues its journey to the Long & Ryle Gallery.

The inaugural Bronte tea will launch on January 29th at 3pm with talks given by Charlotte and Bronte Society Executive Director, Ann Sumner, followed by the unveiling of the exhibition as it arrives in London. Interesting  and informative, irreverent and anachronistic but above all as DELICIOUS as anything you would expect from the superb Marcus Wareing restaurant, this tea will delight Bronte fans and Victorian buffs alike. The discussion is free with any afternoon tea booked (£25 per person or £33 with a Victorian gin cocktail).
The Brontes themselves would have been fascinated by the setting at St Pancras Railway Station, they were wildly excited by the coming of the railways, the internet revolution of their times.  Branwell, their little known brother, went to work on the railways, he was very proud of his job but spent too much time doodling and writing poetry. Emily Bronte famously traded shares in the railway and the last surviving sister, and only member of this brilliant Yorkshire family to enjoy literary fame in their life time, Charlotte Bronte took advantage of the new railway to come down to London to “enjoy life as a literary lioness”.

Teatime featured large in the lives of the Brontes scribbling their famous novels in their secluded Parsonage. The Bronte themed tea will include Pontefract liquorice and chocolate cupcakes, Yorkshire Parkin (from an original recipe devised by the Bronte’s faithful servant Tabby), Wensleydale and pickle sandwiches in honour of the Bronte’s love of the Lake District, and Yorkshire puddings with mash and gravy as cooked by Emily Bronte, an ardent cook who would stir the puddings between penning paragraphs of Wuthering Heights.
The tea will run from the 29th of January until the 12th of February and booking is essential; for more details or to make a reservation please call 0207 278 3888 or click here.
thegilbertscott/tea-with-the-brontes/
wiki/St_Pancras_railway_station
wiki/Sunday_roast

A groundbreaking exhibition of Masonic artefacts is being displayed at a Yorkshire museum.

 
Exhibition co-creator Peter Smith with a Dickensian Masonic snuff handkerchief
 
A groundbreaking exhibition of Masonic artefacts is being displayed at a Yorkshire museum. Freemasonry Explained - which is taking centre stage at Bradford Industrial Museum - is designed to give members of the public a greater understanding of the fraternity, which in Yorkshire alone boasts some 7,000 members.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see what really is inside a Freemason's case and admire the superb examples of silverware, glassware and ceramics on show. They will also be able to view an array of colourful aprons and banners, and even be able to see a replica Masonic temple. In addition, the Royal Opera House, London, has loaned its majestic "Sunburst" robe, worn by the High Priest Sarastro in its production of Mozart's "Masonic" opera, The Magic Flute.

The display has been created by two members of the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding, Stuart Ross and Peter Smith, and is open until November 16, 2014.

Deputy Provincial Grand Master in Charge, Jack Pigott, said: "The purpose of this exhibition is to give people a greater insight and a better understanding of Masons and Freemasonry. This is only the second time in the United Kingdom that a semi-permanent Masonic display has been held in a non-Masonic building, the first being in the Heritage Lounge at Harrogate's Royal Hall.

"Visitors will be able to ask questions, learn about our charitable work and see for themselves what a Masonic Lodge looks like. I am very proud that once again it is Freemasons from the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding who are helping to change the public perception of our ancient institution."

"A Masonic Experience", at the Museum, Moorside Road, Bradford BD2 3HP is available to view between 10am - 4pm Monday to Friday and 11am -4pm at weekends. Admission is free.

On 29th February 1836, Branwell Bronte was initiated into the Haworth Three Graces Lodge

of the Freemasons – although he was 2 years below the minimum age. In June 1837, he was appointed as Secretary to the Three Graces Lodge until 11th December 1837. John Brown was Master of the Lodge.

The Parlour

The Parlour

Parsonage

Parsonage

Charlotte Bronte

Presently the door opened, and in came a superannuated mastiff, followed by an old gentleman very like Miss Bronte, who shook hands with us, and then went to call his daughter. A long interval, during which we coaxed the old dog, and looked at a picture of Miss Bronte, by Richmond, the solitary ornament of the room, looking strangely out of place on the bare walls, and at the books on the little shelves, most of them evidently the gift of the authors since Miss Bronte's celebrity. Presently she came in, and welcomed us very kindly, and took me upstairs to take off my bonnet, and herself brought me water and towels. The uncarpeted stone stairs and floors, the old drawers propped on wood, were all scrupulously clean and neat. When we went into the parlour again, we began talking very comfortably, when the door opened and Mr. Bronte looked in; seeing his daughter there, I suppose he thought it was all right, and he retreated to his study on the opposite side of the passage; presently emerging again to bring W---- a country newspaper. This was his last appearance till we went. Miss Bronte spoke with the greatest warmth of Miss Martineau, and of the good she had gained from her. Well! we talked about various things; the character of the people, - about her solitude, etc., till she left the room to help about dinner, I suppose, for she did not return for an age. The old dog had vanished; a fat curly-haired dog honoured us with his company for some time, but finally manifested a wish to get out, so we were left alone. At last she returned, followed by the maid and dinner, which made us all more comfortable; and we had some very pleasant conversation, in the midst of which time passed quicker than we supposed, for at last W---- found that it was half-past three, and we had fourteen or fifteen miles before us. So we hurried off, having obtained from her a promise to pay us a visit in the spring... ------------------- "She cannot see well, and does little beside knitting. The way she weakened her eyesight was this: When she was sixteen or seventeen, she wanted much to draw; and she copied nimini-pimini copper-plate engravings out of annuals, ('stippling,' don't the artists call it?) every little point put in, till at the end of six months she had produced an exquisitely faithful copy of the engraving. She wanted to learn to express her ideas by drawing. After she had tried to draw stories, and not succeeded, she took the better mode of writing; but in so small a hand, that it is almost impossible to decipher what she wrote at this time.

I asked her whether she had ever taken opium, as the description given of its effects in Villette was so exactly like what I had experienced, - vivid and exaggerated presence of objects, of which the outlines were indistinct, or lost in golden mist, etc. She replied, that she had never, to her knowledge, taken a grain of it in any shape, but that she had followed the process she always adopted when she had to describe anything which had not fallen within her own experience; she had thought intently on it for many and many a night before falling to sleep, - wondering what it was like, or how it would be, - till at length, sometimes after the progress of her story had been arrested at this one point for weeks, she wakened up in the morning with all clear before her, as if she had in reality gone through the experience, and then could describe it, word for word, as it had happened. I cannot account for this psychologically; I only am sure that it was so, because she said it. ----------------------She thought much of her duty, and had loftier and clearer notions of it than most people, and held fast to them with more success. It was done, it seems to me, with much more difficulty than people have of stronger nerves, and better fortunes. All her life was but labour and pain; and she never threw down the burden for the sake of present pleasure. I don't know what use you can make of all I have said. I have written it with the strong desire to obtain appreciation for her. Yet, what does it matter? She herself appealed to the world's judgement for her use of some of the faculties she had, - not the best, - but still the only ones she could turn to strangers' benefit. They heartily, greedily enjoyed the fruits of her labours, and then found out she was much to be blamed for possessing such faculties. Why ask for a judgement on her from such a world?" elizabeth gaskell/charlotte bronte



Poem: No coward soul is mine

No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the worlds storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heavens glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.


O God within my breast.
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life -- that in me has rest,
As I -- Undying Life -- have power in Thee!


Vain are the thousand creeds
That move mens hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as withered weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,


To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by Thine infinity;
So surely anchored on
The steadfast Rock of immortality.


With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.


Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou wert left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.


There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou -- Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.


--
Emily Bronte

Family tree

The Bronte Family

Grandparents - paternal
Hugh Brunty was born 1755 and died circa 1808. He married Eleanor McClory, known as Alice in 1776.

Grandparents - maternal
Thomas Branwell (born 1746 died 5th April 1808) was married in 1768 to Anne Carne (baptised 27th April 1744 and died 19th December 1809).

Parents
Father was Patrick Bronte, the eldest of 10 children born to Hugh Brunty and Eleanor (Alice) McClory. He was born 17th March 1777 and died on 7th June 1861. Mother was Maria Branwell, who was born on 15th April 1783 and died on 15th September 1821.

Maria had a sister, Elizabeth who was known as Aunt Branwell. She was born in 1776 and died on 29th October 1842.

Patrick Bronte married Maria Branwell on 29th December 1812.

The Bronte Children
Patrick and Maria Bronte had six children.
The first child was Maria, who was born in 1814 and died on 6th June 1825.
The second daughter, Elizabeth was born on 8th February 1815 and died shortly after Maria on 15th June 1825. Charlotte was the third daughter, born on 21st April 1816.

Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls (born 1818) on 29th June 1854. Charlotte died on 31st March 1855. Arthur lived until 2nd December 1906.

The first and only son born to Patrick and Maria was Patrick Branwell, who was born on 26th June 1817 and died on 24th September 1848.

Emily Jane, the fourth daughter was born on 30th July 1818 and died on 19th December 1848.

The sixth and last child was Anne, born on 17th January 1820 who died on 28th May 1849.

Top Withens in the snow.

Top Withens in the snow.

Blogarchief

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails