Book Club: Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes

Today, Meg Pirie was joined by Eleanor Houghton an historian, writer, and illustrator specialising in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century dress, literature, and material culture. Eleanor has an interesting career trajectory, after reading English at Oxford, Eleanor went on to become a couture milliner, specialising in archival research. Eleanor holds a doctorate in History and is an historical costume consultant for film and television productions such as Emily and Gentleman Jack.

Eleanor is the author and illustrator of ‘Charlotte Brontë’s Life Through Clothes’, based on nine years of research into Charlotte Brontë’s surviving wardrobe.

In this live session, Eleanor argues that garments are primary sources that record Brontë’s daily life, emotions, and identity, rather than just curiosities. In fact Charlotte Brontë’s very clothes challenge the preexisting stereotypes of Charlotte as a “drab, sexless, saint-like” figure. From her corset, which is examined as a “shield” from criticism and an example of “hyper-femininity” used to navigate societal body ideals and class status, to the Industrial Revolution and resourcefulness during that time, these 150 items bore witness to Charlotte’s incredible, and at times, very complex life.

To find out more about Eleanor and her work, you can check out her website, Linked In, and instagram also! Buy the book here