Jane Austen in 41 Objects

Over 200 years after Jane Austen’s death at just forty-one, we continue to search for clues about this remarkable writer’s life. What might we discover if we explore the biographies of objects that crossed her path in life and afterwards—items she cherished, discarded, or that shaped her world, or those inspired by her legacy?

Among the objects featured in this book are a teenage notebook, a muslin shawl, a wallpaper fragment, a tea caddy, a theatrical poster for a play she attended, and the dining-room grate at Chawton Cottage where she lived. Poignantly, it also includes the last manuscript page of her unfinished novel and a lock of hair kept by her devoted sister, Cassandra. Items that form part of Jane Austen’s rich cultural legacy include a dinner plate decorated by Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, Grayson Perry’s commemorative pot from 2009, and Mr Darcy’s wet shirt, worn by Colin Firth in the 1995 BBC adaptation.

This is a different sort of biography, where objects with their own histories provide diverse ways to explore Jane Austen’s life. Each object—shown in colour—invites us to meet Jane Austen at a specific moment when her life intersects with theirs, eloquently revealing past lives and shedding new light on one of our most beloved authors.