Smithsonian's Invention of Charlotte Brontë

An online alert for today, September 5:

Smithsonian presents

The Invention of Charlotte Brontë by Graham Watson

Afternoon Lecture/Seminar

Friday, ​September 5, 2025 - ​12:00 p.m. ​to 1:15 p.m. ET​

Code: 1CV069

Location: This online program is presented on Zoom

Ever since the death of Charlotte Brontë in 1855, her tragic life story – entwined with those of her novelist sisters Emily and Anne – has been a cultural legend. Much of this legend originates in Elizabeth Gaskell’s controversial 1857 biography, The Life of Charlotte Brontë, which created a furor on publication. As a result, a censored edition was issued that remained the standard until the middle of the 20th century. The question of how much of it is true has persisted. Author Graham Watson discusses his research in the manuscript archives of the Brontë and Gaskell families and their friends and publishing associates and shares why he believes his findings challenge many long-held assumptions about Brontë and her family.

His new book, The Invention of Charlotte Brontë (Pegasus), available for sale, reconstructs events from rarely seen letters and firsthand accounts.

Another Smithsonian event will take place on Saturday, September 6, in Washington: 

Star Power Saturday Movie Matinee: “Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star” Book Talk & “Wuthering Heights” Screening

Saturday, September 6, 2025, 2 – 5:40 PM EDT

McEvoy Auditorium, Mcevoy AuditoriumWashington, DC 20001, USA

Merle Oberon rose to the highest echelons of fame in Golden Age Hollywood while keeping a secret that threatened to destroy her career: her South Asian identity. Mayukh Sen, a James Beard Award-winning author, brings the story of this often-forgotten star to life in his new book “Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star.” Sen will join Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center educator Andrea Kim Neighbors for a conversation about Oberon’s complex legacy and the history of Asian American representation on screen.  

A special Star Power screening of “Wuthering Heights” will follow. Merle Oberon dazzles opposite Laurence Olivier as they portray star-crossed lovers Cathy and Heathcliff in this 1939 romantic period drama based on Emily Brontë’s classic novel.