Emily Brontë - Portrait of an Author

The second of a mini collection of my favourite female authors of the past, Emily Brontë. Like Jane Austen, there are few authentic portraits of Emily Brontë and a lot of interpretations. I try to go as close to the source as possible. The most reliable one, in my opinion, is of the three sisters painted by their brother Branwell. Anne is on the left, Emily is in the center and Charlotte is on the right. I also pulled out images of the family to examine the genetic traits. Maria, Emily's mother was British and her father Patrick was from Ireland.

Because the original image is so damaged, I also used a cleaned up, restored version by Mick Armitage to help discern Emily's features. Here she is with Anne.

Apparently, this profile is of Emily as well, but I personally think it looks more like Anne, mainly because of the nose.

Charlotte, very Irish features.

Branwell, very British.

Maria Brontë

Reverend Patrick Brontë

The old book as been glued shut and primed. Here with a preliminary sketch of Emily.