Auctions, walks and Wuthering Heights

News-Antique posts a few more details on Patrick Brontë's re-found photograph.

A photograph of the father of the Brontë sisters, lost to the literary and art world since it was auctioned in 1898, has been discovered at a provincial antiques fair and will be sold by Surrey fine art auctioneer Ewbank Clarke Gammon Wellers. The sale is on June 24-25.
The faded sepia photograph of the Rev Patrick Brontë. still in its original oval gilt frame, was uncovered among papers in an old Ilford film box. With it was a dog-eared copy of the 1898 auction catalogue for the dispersal of “The Museum of Brontë Relics” conducted in The Strand by Sotheby Wilkinson and Hodge. The portrait photograph had previously been on display along with other Brontë mementoes at the Temperance tearooms in Haworth, in Yorkshire where the family lived.
A foreword to the 1898 sale catalogue reads: “A large proportion of these relics was given by members of the Brontë family at various times to William Brown (father of Mr Robinson Brown), Sexton at Haworth Church during 20 years of the Rev P Brontë’s incumbency, and to his niece Martha Brown, who for many years lived in the Brontë family. Those relics which were not inherited from these relatives by Mr Robinson Brown, he acquired from Mr A Gledhill, Keithley; Miss Nussey; Mr W Scruton, Bradford and others; a few were purchased by him in the locality.”
A further note reads that the collection of 107 lots was to be offered for sale in one lot with a reserve price. It adds: “If this sum be not realised, it will then be sold in detail as catalogued”. The latter course was taken.
It is not known how much was raised by the sale of the photograph, which was Lot 105 in the catalogue, but the sale was not well received. In her book “Strange World of the Brontës” (Sigma Leisure 2001) author Marie Campbell states that when Robinson Brown’s Museum of Brontë Relics closed, it had been hoped to sell the treasures at the Chicago Exhibition “… but it was not to be. A further attempt to auction 107 lots was made on Saturday 2 July 1898 at Sotheby’s. Even this failed to attract many serious bidders. Amongst the effects that didn’t receive a bid at all were J.H. Thompson’s oil portrait of Charlotte [Brontë] and her doll’s cradle. The Brontë Society spent just under £20 on the day, purchasing several Brontë mementoes. An unfinished counterpane worked by all three sisters was knocked down for £1.2s (£1.10), a signed watercolour of Anne’s pet dog Flossy for £12, a lock Charlotte’s of hair belonging to Martha Brown and taken after her [Charlotte’s] death cost £1.14s (£1.70), while yet another fetched double that amount”.
An inscription on the reverse of the portrait, which was presumably the original museum description, reads: “Rev P Brontë; Various relics including an oval photograph framed and glazed, a small china blue and white plate often used by him and a sword stick. The photograph was owned by Martha Brown and was bought from the Ratcliffes from whom came also the plate. The swordstick is accompanied by a framed certificate from C Stansfield who sold it to Mr Dixon. It was given by Mr Brontë to John Hudson the elder of Haworth who repaired Mr Brontë's boots for many years and was bought by Stansfield from John Hudson the Younger his son”.
The copy of the1898 auction catalogue is being offered with the photograph, as is a copy of “Emily Jane Brontë and the authorship of Wuthering Heights” by Alice Law a book published by the Old Parsonage Press. The lot is estimated at £400-600.
Patrick Brontë (1777-1861) was born in Emdale, Drumballyroney, County Down, the eldest of 10 children. His father was an agricultural labourer and the boy was originally apprenticed to a blacksmith and also later to a draper and a weaver. However, largely self-taught, he became a teacher and subsequently gained a place to study theology at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1806.
It is interesting to note that it was around this time that Patrick changed his surname from the Irish Brunty and various theories have been given for the reason. It has been suggested he simply wanted to hide his humble origins, while others think his classical training persuaded him to adopt the name with a dieresis – the two dots over the “e” – to highlight the second syllable as in the Greek. In Greek mythology, brontes means thunder and was the name of one of the three Cyclops.
He was ordained into the Church of England in 1807 and married Maria Branwell at Guiseley Church in 1812. His famous daughters Maria was born in 1814, Elizabeth in 1815 and Charlotte in 1816, Emily in 1818 and Anne in 1820, He also had a son Patrick Branwell, born in 1817. In 1820, Patrick was appointed perpetual curate of Haworth. He died there in 1861 at the age of 84, having outlived his wife and all six children.
Viewing for the Summer sale of fine art and antiques at Ewbank Clarke Gammon Wellers is on Saturday June 20 from 10am to 2pm; Monday June 22 from 10am to 5pm and Tuesday June 23 from 10am to 8pm. There will also be viewing on each sale day from 9.30-10am.
The sale catalogue with all lots illustrated will also be available for viewing on the Internet at www.ewbankauctions.co.uk a week prior to the sale. For further information, please contact the auctioneers on 01483 223101.

That book by Alice Law which will be thrown in with the photograph should be quite a fun thing to read, as Alice Law firmly believed that Branwell Brontë had at best worked alongside Emily in the creation of Wuthering Heights, at worst written it all himself only to have it stolen by Emily. Another book by Alice Law, a biography of Branwell published in 1923, can be found on the Internet Archive.

Not all of us can afford bidding in auctions, but walks are most certainly free and the newspapers don't tire of recommending scenic walks for the summer season. The Guardian suggest a walk around Holmfirth and, since this is England, they do well to suggest alternatives in case it begins raining:

If it's tipping down
Oakwell Hall country park, with its Elizabethan manor house, is 30 minutes' drive away. It was often visited by Charlotte Brontë, and was the inspiration for Fieldhead, the heroine's home in her novel Shirley. oakwellhallcountrypark.co.uk

Charlotte Brontë visited the area - which is, after all, also known as Shirley Country - often, but we are not so sure about her visiting Oakwell Hall itself so often, though, as it was a girls' school in her time and she didn't teach or study there.

Not far from there, Hebden Bridge - near Haworth - and its shops are praised by The Independent.

Of the 33 per cent of towns to escape censure [villages branded as clones], Hebden Bridge, in the Yorkshire Pennines, scored the highest for best retaining its individual character. The four other towns with the most distinctive high streets in Britain are Peebles and Bo'ness in Scotland, Normanton in West Yorkshire, and Frodsham in Cheshire.
Duncan McKie, who owns Pot Stop, a cook shop on Hebden Bridge's high street, said: "Shop-keeping here is how it was years ago. We give old-fashioned service - something that's lacking in the big chains."
The tourist office recommends shopping and walking as the top two pursuits in the old mill town, which is in the heart of Bronte country. Any visitor glancing out of the tourist office's front door won't see a single chain store. Instead, quirky boutiques await, from a fair trade shop (known locally as "that hippie shop") selling ethnic goods and a kitchenware shop, to a country tailor for all your hunting, shooting and walking needs. (Susie Mesure)

We are not leaving Yorkshire yet, as the Ripon Gazette is warming up for when Tamasha's Wuthering Heights arrives in Harrogate next June 16.

EMILY Brontë meets Bollywood in the world premiere of a show which is taking place at Harrogate Theatre.
The acclaimed Tamasha group will be bringing their new musical adaptation of the classic novel Wuthering Heights to the town, combining all the thrilling drama, dance and enchanting music of classic Indian cinema.
Brontë's timeless tale of passion, jealousy and revenge will be relocated from the wilds of the Yorkshire Moors to the sun-scorched desert of Rajasthan as Shakuntala (Cathy), the fiery and headstrong daughter of spice merchant Singh, falls for Krishan (Heathcliff), the wily street urchin from Bombay that Singh brings home after a trip to market.
With this version of Wuthering Heights, Tamasha retain the dark and brooding atmosphere of the original novel, while seeking to create a fresh musical style with a fusion between a Bollywood cinematic treatment and other more classical elements of a western musical. Wuthering Heights follows Tamasha's previous large-scale populist productions, East is East, Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral, and Strictly Dandia.
To celebrate the world premiere production, Harrogate Theatre, in association with Punch Records, will transform their foyer and bars to house two visually stunning exhibitions, Soho Road to the Punjab and Bollywood Stills – Style, Sweat, Glamour.
Soho Road to the Punjab maps 50 years of bhangra music, culture and style in UK, while Bollywood Stills – Style, Sweat, Glamour explores the use of photo stills in Bollywood film publicity, drawing on the large 'Action Stills' archives from Kamat Foto Flash in Mumbai, India.
Wuthering Heights will be at Harrogate Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday, June 16 to 20. Tickets cost £11 to £15 with concessions available from the Box Office on 01423 502 116.
The exhibitions run from Monday, June 1 to Friday, July 31. Admission is free.

The New Zealand Listener takes a quick look at Wuthering Heights adaptations when announcing that the 2009 miniseries will be broadcast there next Sunday, June 14.

A brand new production of the classic story of doomed love.
The earliest film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s only novel, Wuthering Heights, was made by prolific British director AV Bramble in 1920. Then came the famous 1939 version with an all-star cast of Laurence Olivier, David Niven and Merle Oberon. Since then, there have been French, Japanese and Filipino versions, operas, stage plays and musicals, including one narrated by, of all people, Ray Winstone. Let’s not forget, although some might wish to, Kate Bush’s wailing debut single in 1978. Cliff Richard played Heathcliff in a musical in 1996. There is a Monty Python sketch entitled The Semaphore Version of Wuthering Heights.
And still the adaptations arrive – a film next year will star Gemma Arterton and Ed Westwick – which implies one of two things: either the story still fascinates 162 years after it was published (in a 2007 poll, British readers voted it the greatest love story of all time), or the adaptations aren’t getting it right.
So how does the latest television version of Wuthering Heights (TV1, Sunday, 8.30pm) measure up? The Brits are yet to pass judgment, as this two-parter hasn’t screened there yet due to the financial chaos at ITV. It has screened in the US, however, where one reviewer said that the performances of Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley, Burn Gorman and Andrew Lincoln were “compelling”. The reviewer did think that director Corky Giedroyc (Elizabeth I) “goes over-the-top gothic at every opportunity”, but a story of love, jealousy, madness, alcoholism, ghosts on the moor and cruelty to children is no time to hold back on the gothic, surely. And the brooding. Especially the brooding. (Fiona Rae)

Heathcliff has won a new 'title', according to the Brisbane Times:

Sandra Yates, chairwoman of the Sydney Writers' Festival, nominates Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights as literature's greatest bounder. . . (Conrad Walters)

StaticGirl is slowly uploading her very own comic adaptation of Wuthering Heights to ComicSpace. So far there are five pages in total: here's the latest one.

Schenkenblogger posts about Jane Eyre and dovegreyreader reviews Lilian Pizzichini's The Blue Hour.

Categories: Brontëana, Comics, Haworth, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, Patrick Brontë, Theatre, Wide Sargasso Sea, Wuthering Heights