Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), Novelist

Charlotte Brontë (Mrs A.B. Nicholls)

Sitter associated with 4 portraits
One of the Brontë sisters; a novelist whose books, including Jane Eyre, and Villette, extended the emotional range of English fiction. Acutely shy in person, Brontë fearlessly questioned social conventions in her novels, drawing on her experience as a teacher and governess. The daughter of an Anglican clergyman, she married her father's curate, the Rev. A.B. Nicholls, in 1854, but still faced criticism for the seemingly immoral qualities of her strong female characters. In writing her biography, Elizabeth Gaskell aimed to restore Brontë's respectability, and succeeded in establishing her reputation as a tragic, but courageous figure who demonstrated the intellectual ability of women.