The Oxford Companion to the Brontës

Alexander, Christine; Smith, Margaret

doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662181.001.0001

Cited by 26 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…With this in mind the publishers have designed the In Context series. Thus this title fits in well between the ten scholarly and substantial essays of The Cambridge Companion to the Brontës (Glen, 2002) ( RR 2003/249) and the more dictionary‐like Oxford Companion to the Brontës (Alexander and Smith, 2003) ( RR 2004/140) with its 2,000+ entries.…”

supporting

confidence: 59%

The Brontës in Context

2013

Reference Reviews

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supporting

confidence: 59%

The Brontës in Context

2013

Reference Reviews

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“…The Oxford Companion to the Brontës (Alexander and Smith, 2003) ( RR 2004/140) covers much of the same ground as the work reviewed here. The two Barnards, Smith and Alexander are all leading Brontë scholars and the reputation of Oxford University Press and Blackwell as publishers are in the highest league.…”

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confidence: 84%

A Brontë Encyclopedia

2008

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“…24 she collected oral histories about Emily, Anne and Charlotte Brontë and made 'repeated pilgrimages' to every 'Brontë shrine in England and Belgium'. 25 Chadwick was keen to establish the link between the extant garment and the Thackeray dinner of 1850. 26 significantly, she questioned Tabitha Ratcliffe, Martha Brown's sister, who confirmed that Charlotte had worn the dress on the evening in question.…”

Section: Evidence In Support Of the Dress Having Been Worn To Thackermentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling the Mystery: Charlotte Brontë’s 1850 ‘Thackeray Dress’

Houghton¹

2016

Costume

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In the summer of 1850, there was a frisson of excitement in London society. Charlotte Brontë, the recently revealed writer of the best-selling novel Jane Eyre, was in the capital, staying with her publisher, George Smith. The highlight of Charlotte's trip was a large, formal dinner hosted by her literary hero, William Makepeace Thackeray. To this august event it has long been assumed that she wore a floral print, white and blue delaine skirt and bodice. This article begins by examining the colloquially named 'Thackeray Dress' in detail, before considering the evidence given in support of it having been worn to the dinner on 12 June 1850. The style and fabric of the dress are then compared to others of the period and this is followed by an examination of contemporary sartorial conventions, and the extent of Charlotte Brontë's adherence to them. Questions raised by these findings are then considered alongside reports that suggest the dress may not have been worn on this occasion. Published in the bicentenary year of Brontë's birth, this study questions the validity of the garment's association with the legendary Thackeray dinner and, in so doing, attempts to separate fact from fiction.

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The Oxford Companion to the Brontës

Cited by 26 publications

References 0 publications

The Brontës in Context

The Brontës in Context

A Brontë Encyclopedia

Unravelling the Mystery: Charlotte Brontë’s 1850 ‘Thackeray Dress’

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