Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855
- Abstract:
- A collection of letters and manuscripts written by Charlotte Brontë, 19th century English novelist and poet.
- Extent:
- 5.42 Linear Feet (4 boxes, 2 volumes)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. Charlotte Brontë collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
A collection of letters and manuscripts written by Charlotte Brontë. The manuscripts include both bound and unbound prose and verse; some of which are written in the minute hand which she often used. The majority of the letters are written to her friend Ellen Nussey, along with a small group of letters to her mentor, William Smith Williams, and one letter to her biographer, Elizabeth Gaskell.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) was an English novelist and poet. She began writing in childhood with her sisters Anne and Emily and published her first novel, Jane Eyre in 1847 under the name Currer Bell, this was followed by Shirley (1849), Villette (1853), and The Professor (published posthumously in 1857). Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls on June 29, 1854, and became pregnant soon after the wedding; due to severe morning sickness Charlotte grew weaker and she died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855, three weeks before her 39th birthday.
- Acquisition information:
-
Purchased from William K. Bixby, 1918. (HM 2578)
Acquired from various sources, 1916-1930.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Huntington Library staff from 1918 to approximately 1930; in February 2025, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid. This collection includes multiple acquisitions acquired and assembled by Huntington Library staff over many years.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged chronologically by format.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
- Terms of access:
-
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. Charlotte Brontë collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191