Charlotte's doll's house

Andrew Waters from Christie's has kindly provided us with information and pictures regarding the doll's house supposedly decorated by Charlotte Brontë during her time working as governess for the Sidgwick family which will be auctioned next January 20 and 21 (10:30 AM, South Kensington). The doll's house - whether Charlotte decorated it or not - is beautiful all the same.

A GEORGE II GRAINED FOUR-ROOM 'BABY' HOUSE CIRCA 1750, ON A LATER BASE

Painted to simulate oak, with sash windows, the interior by repute redecorated by Charlotte Bronte in 1839, with a large collection of dolls house furnishings added by Roger Warner, on a later painted arched brickwork base made by Roger Warner.
73.1/4 in. (186 cm.) high;
53.1/2 in. (136 cm.) wide;
23 in. (59 cm.) deep

Estimate : £ 5,000 - 8,000

Provenance
By repute, the Sidgwick family, Stonegappe, Lothersdale, Skipton, Yorkshire and by descent to the Greenwood family, Swarcliffe Hall, Harrogate, Yorkshire.
Purchased by Roger Warner at Morphet & Morphet's house sale on 19 March 1974, lot 378.

Exhibited
'Childhood', A Loan Exhibition, Sotheby's London, 2-27 November 1988, no. 187.

Catalogue Notes
Charlotte Bronte was employed as governess to the Sidgwick children from May to July 1839. Family tradition in the Sidgwick/ Greenwood family dictates that Charlotte Bronte redecorated the interior of the `Baby' House while employed as governess. Juliet Barker, author of `The Brontës' records `In June, the Sidgwicks left Stonegappe to stay at Swarcliffe, a summer residence belonging to Mrs Sidgwick's father, John Greenwood, at Birstwith, three miles from Ripon.'
Elizabeth Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë (ch. VIII) quotes from a letter written to Emily Bronte in 1839, `I said in my last letter that Mrs [Sidgwick] did not know me. I now begin to find she does not intend to know me; that she cares nothing about me, except to contrive how the greatest possible quantity of labour may be got out of me; and to that end she overwhelms me with oceans of needlework; yards of cambric to hem, muslin night-caps to make, and, above all things, dolls to dress.'

Categories: Brontëana