Charlotte Brontë letter to Ellen Nussey, 1840 November 12
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Summary
- Creator:
- Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855
Weightman, William, 1814-1842
Nussey, Ellen, correspondent - Abstract:
- Collection comprises a autographed letter (4 pgs., 19 cm x 23 cm) written by Charlotte Brontë to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey on 1840 November 12, possibly from Yorkshire. Pages also hold sketches of her and of a horse head created by William Weightman (1814-1842), who was assistant curate to Patrick Brontë beginning in 1839. Topics include Weightman's drawings; an invitation to her to provide entertainment; procuring students for a local school; and the abusive and dissolving relationship between Mr. Collins, who was a curate, and his wife. Includes Brontë's negative assessment of Mr. Collins' character. Collection includes a typescript transcription of the letter.
- Extent:
- 0.1 Linear Feet (2 items)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Research Center:
- Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
- Collection ID:
- RL.11052
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection comprises a autographed letter (4 pgs., 19 cm x 23 cm) written by Charlotte Brontë to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey on 1840 November 12, possibly from Yorkshire. Pages also hold sketches of her and of a horse head created by William Weightman (1814-1842), who was assistant curate to Patrick Brontë beginning in 1839. Topics include Weightman's drawings; an invitation to her to provide entertainment; procuring students for a local school; and the abusive and dissolving relationship between Mr. Collins, who was a curate, and his wife. Includes Brontë's negative assessment of Mr. Collins' character. Collection includes a typescript transcription of the letter.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet. She was born 1816 April 21 in Thornton, Yorkshire, and died 1855 March 31 in Haworth, Yorkshire. She wrote Jane Eyre and published it in 1847 under the pen name Currer Bell; her other pen names included Lord Charles Albert Florian, and Wellesley. She wrote her novella The Green Dwarf in 1833 but her first novel, The Professor, written before Jane Eyre, was only published in 1857. Her poetry was included in a volume of poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell in 1846. In 1839, she took up the first of many positions as governess to various families in Yorkshire, a career she pursued until 1841. She married Arthur Bell Nicholls in 1854, but died while pregnant with their first child.
- Acquisition information:
- The Charlotte Brontë Letter to Ellen Nussey, 1840 November 12, was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2017.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by: Alice L. Poffinberger, May, 2015.
Accessions described in this finding aid: 2015-0050-LUBMSS137.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Collection is open for research.
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- Preferred citation:
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Charlotte Brontë Letter to Ellen Nussey, 1840 November 12, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1dw33