Bronte Letters Come Home

On the 3rd of July 2007 the Bronte Parsonage Museum purchased two letters written by Charlotte and Patrick Bronte at Christie's auction house in London. The two letters were amongst those from the Albin Schram Collection of Autographed Letters which were discovered in a laundry room in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The museum is now proud to own an autographed letter hand written on mourning paper by Charlotte Bronte just over a week after the publication of her novel Shirley. The letter, written to William Smith Williams (dated 9th November 1849) includes a critique of Lady Morgan's book Woman and her Master and acknowledges receipt of a parcel of newspapers and books. In the letter, Charlotte criticises Lady Morgan's style of writing as being 'very pompous' and goes on to add that '...one feels that she often writes rather from a pedantic wish to show her learning than from an earnest desire to impress others with truths of which she is herself sincerely convinced'.

The letter also makes reference to her thoughts regarding the critical and somewhat disappointing first reviews of her recently published book Shirley in the Spectator and Athenaeum. Charlotte is quick to comment upon the inability of these 'acute men...to criticise works of imagination-they stand in the position of deaf men required to listen to music-or blind men to judge of paintings. The practical their minds can grasp-of the Ideal they know nothing'. The recipient, William Smith Williams was among the first to recognise the talent and potential of Charlotte after reading the manuscript of her first novel The Professor.

The museum also successfully bid on a letter dated 29th of February 1844 by Patrick Bronte, the father of the famous Bronte sisters in which he expresses his concern to George Taylor, occupier of the Manor House at Stanbury, regarding the emotional wellbeing of fellow churchwarden Enoch Thomas. This item is of particular importance to our collection as Mr Bronte's more compassionate and sympathetic side to his personality is clearly portrayed. -- www.ardentheatre.org.uk

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