L&T Archive 1998-2003

Silhouette of Edward's presentation.....
In Response To: Another view ()

] .....Somewhere I saw a painting of George Austen presenting his son Edward to Mr. Knight, while Mrs. Knight and another lady sit playing a game at a table, not troubling themselves to interrupt their game. To our modern eyes at least, this painting portrays the adoption in an unsympathetic light.

I found a copy of the silhouette online! The picture seems to be dated 1782. (I had to squint, though - so it could say 1783.) Either way, Edward would have been around fourteen at the time it was done. Jane would have been only been seven years old. It comes as a shock, somehow, to realise that in her childhood, Jane's father would have worn a frock coat and wig. I'll put a link below to the UPenn site which houses the silhouette, which appears in Constance Hill's 'Jane Austen, Her Homes and Her Friends.'

Messages In This Thread

Brother Edward the lucky one..
Discussion timeframe.....
Another view
Silhouette of Edward's presentation.....
symbolic silhouette
Edward's adoption and Grand tour..
Jane's brothers prolific letter-writers?
Re. Jane's brothers writing home
Edward's adoption ..and possible legalities.
Re: Edward's adoption and ..
It was not until...
Not an Austen connection.
John Knight Hinton
Thanks Caroline
Just a wild thought
Another wild thought..
And another....
Why Edward?
Unfortunate James
Tough on the boy
I think so