New Bespoke Range at the Parsonage Shop

A press release from the Brontë Society:

New bespoke range at Brontë Parsonage showcases Charlotte’s art skills

On the 2nd September the Brontë Parsonage Museum will launch an exciting new range of bespoke merchandise based upon the botanical watercolours of Charlotte Brontë.

Painted between 1830 and 1832 when Charlotte was just a teenager, the studies show a young girl with great talent. Charlotte exhibited some watercolours in Leeds and had early ambitions to be an artist. Almost 200 drawings, watercolours and miniatures survive by Charlotte and her botanical works are amongst her most popular.

The range includes bookmarks, exercise books, fridge magnets, greetings cards, spiral notebooks and mounted prints of three of Charlotte’s stunning artworks: Wild roses from nature, painted when she was just 14, and Study of a heartsease and Blue convolvulus, painted when she was 16 and away from home at Roe Head School.

Despite her skill in capturing these beautiful flowers, Charlotte was not a keen gardener. The Parsonage garden was, according to Ellen Nussey, “nearly all grass and possessing only a few stunted thorns and shrubs”. Instead Charlotte would have taken inspiration, as always, from books.

To celebrate the release of the new range, the Parsonage will be hosting a botanicals workshop on 5th October 11am-4pm. Adult Education tutor and botanical illustrator Imogen Collins-Thomas will help participants to look through Charlotte's eyes, and use her drawing and painting techniques to create images with a feel of her work. Tickets £15. To book contact Sue Newby on 01535640185 or email susan.newby@bronte.org.uk.