In the same way I’m drawn to the ‘Brontë Story’——I’m drawn to the ‘Robertson Nicoll Story’ too——indeed the two entities are indivisible in ‘my book’! Their common denominator is this small pencil portrait on ‘J Whatman’ watermarked paper——coincidentally Charlotte Brontë’s paper of choice.

I intuitively know that this drawing is the ‘lost’ portrait as seen by Sir William Robertson Nicoll——because for starters, it’s microscopically signed ‘C Brontë’. . .And as small as Charlotte’s signature undoubtedly is——it could be scientifically proven that my story——this non-fictional narrative to get to the Truth isn’t just based on my intuition!

I steadfastly believe in the title of this post, ‘Where There’s Sir William There IS a Way!’——because Sir William Robertson Nicoll——is my strength, my faith, my purpose! His unfinished task——his “chief desideratum” has been passed to me; I will not cast aside the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ in the cavalier way that the ‘Brontë Society’ has cast it out for more than a century!

Indeed, it’s such a shame that today’s Brontë Society doesn’t take a page out of Sir William’s book——a former early president of the Brontë Society. . .
    “It is proposed to establish a Bronte Society… The chief desideratum is the excellent pencil sketch of Emily Bronte, drawn by Charlotte, which was in the possession of Martha Brown, the old servant of the family, and is now lost.” I saw it thirteen years ago, and vainly endeavoured to purchase it. I have vainly endeavoured to trace it since.”
Sir William Robertson Nicoll, ‘The Sketch’ 13 December 1893.

I don’t claim to have read these sought-after books cover-to-cover——instead I have a tendency to read ‘between the lines’——gleaning their pages for clues——light-bulb flashes of enlightenment that resonate with my awareness of the ‘lost’ portrait. To me——these precious, biographical and autobiographical books represent the backbone of my Quest; they are Sir William’s own Truth——about his successful life as a Methodist Minister, Bookman, Journalist.

Lady Catherine Robertson Nicoll’s ‘Under The Bay Tree’ paints a picture that’s warm still——of their successful married life from 1897 to 1923. All told, Sir William Robertson Nicoll comes across as a highly principled man who showed great integrity in all his professional and personal dealings. He definitely wasn’t the type of journalist that would have put his good name to a fake scoop about a bogus Brontë portrait; it’s evident he thought much too highly of Charlotte Brontë for that. Indeed, his two favourite novelists were Walter Scott——and Charlotte Brontë.  

The portrait I write about——and the ‘missing’ portrait seen by Sir William in 1879 are One and The Same portrait——I know it! Not least because there’s evidence in plain ‘black and white’ that supports its authenticity; the title of the portrait in contrast to Charlotte’s microscopical signature is anything but small. . .

Robert John Swan’s clearly and boldly drawn pencil portrait of Sir William Robertson Nicoll featured on the front cover of ‘The Bookman’ magazine to mark the passing of its indomitable Editor-In-Chief; working from home——Sir William continued with his editorial work almost to the day he died. So it strikes me as significant that he chose a humble pencil portrait to feature on the front cover of his own farewell edition rather than use a photograph of himself from which there are evidently quite a few——including this handsome one of Sir William in his Knighthood regalia. . .

Sir William Robertson Nicoll died on the 4th. May 1923.

Robert John Swan (1888 – 1980) studies at the Royal Academy from 1909 to 1914. He enjoyed a long and successful career as a portrait painter. . .

All of my sought after books are invaluable —— because together they’ve enabled me to formalize my own picture of Sir William Robertson Nicoll. And even though I have had to search as faraway as an online antiquarian bookseller in Alabama, USA —— in order to receive just one of them——I view them collectively as manna sent direct from Heaven; that’s how they feel held in the hand. One by one, they have sustained my belief in ‘E M I L Y’. . . 

Ninety-nine years after they were published——all twelve “personal impressions and recollections” of esteem and great affection from Sir William’s literary, political and journalistic friends——only serve to strengthen my conviction that Sir William knew exactly the portrait ‘type’ he saw in 1879; Mr. William Canton, put’s it like this——about Sir William’s photographic memory. . .

Evidentially speaking, the Brontë Establishment have nothing against the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ photogravure that first appeared in ‘The Woman at Home’ magazine. Indeed, their loathing of the portrait ‘type’ is based on their established thought ONLY——not hard-headed evidence! They’d much rather go on idolising——and idealising——the wrong ‘lost’ portrait of ‘Emily Brontë’ painted by Branwell in the National Collection——that on evidence is a portrait of Anne Brontë! In that respect, there’s something about the Brontë Establishment’s total apathy towards the original drawing of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ that doesn’t ring true. 

But hey ho, I have just cause to believe that the portrait I have found IS Charlotte’s ‘lost’ portrait of E M I L Y——found nearly one-hundred and fifty years after it went missing in 1880. In real terms, that equates to five generations of Brontë fans that have been systemically poisoned against the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ photogravure that was first published under Sir William Robertson Nicoll’s editorship in 1894.

Statement ’69’ in The Brontë Society’s official catalogue of the ‘Bonnell Collection’ – seriously put paid to the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ in 1932; this is what Charlotte’s original drawing of ‘E M I L Y’ is up against today; historic, systemic sabotage. Sir William Robertson Nicoll had been in his grave nearly ten years by the time this statement was made official in 1932. . .

And because the pencil drawing of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ has absolutely no provenance the Brontë Establishment are content that it remains conveniently ‘lost’. Science though——could one-hundred percent prove that the drawing is not bogus at all. . .

Sir William Robertson Nicoll’s wife, Lady Catherine—— wrote a glowing character reference of her late-husband in ‘Under The Bay Tree’——published for private circulation in 1934. It’s a unique record of their married life together between 1897 – 1923. I consider myself very lucky to have a copy of this rare edition on my top shelf. I don’t think it was for no good reason that Lady Catherine chose to repeat Sir William’s recount of seeing the ‘lost’ portrait of Emily Brontë drawn by Charlotte Brontë——more than a decade after her husband died. . .

Because Charlotte’s portrait of Emily struck such a chord with Sir William——’Appendix 1′ is surely Lady Catherine’s way of keeping her husband’s memory of the picture alive? Although publicly Sir William chose to remain mostly silent about the missing portrait——his wife and confidante would have been acutely aware of his unceasing “regret” in the matter. . .

    “I shall never cease to regret that I did not buy the portrait she had of Emily Bronte, though I got a few other things. I did not buy it because I could not well afford it, and it has been irrevocably lost.” —— lamented Sir William in 1908 in his own newspaper ‘The British Weekly’. . .

Two other excerpts that stepped out of the pages of Lady Catherine’s ‘Under The Bay Tree’. . .

Lady Catherine was Sir William’s second wife. His beloved first wife, Isa —— died in 1894 after an operation——leaving Sir William as the lone-parent of their two young children. Following Isa’s death, Nicoll wrote ‘The Key of The Grave’ that opens with a soul-searching question:

    “What are we to do when it is dull and cold and weary weather with us, when our hearts hunger after vanished faces night and day, when our lives seem to be broken at the centre, and behind and before we see nothing but failure and defeat?”.

‘The Key of The Grave’ was published in 1894——the same year his sister, Maria Nicoll died —— leaving Sir William doubly bereft——and the sole surviving child of five children.

And it was in July 1894 under William Robertson Nicoll’s editorship——that this portrait of “Emily Brontë” first stepped out of the page. . .

Left of ‘Under The Bay Tree’——is another ‘gift’ of a book —— a signed copy of Lady Catherine’s first book ‘Bells of Memory’; again published “For private circulation only” in 1931. It is dedicated to her Grand-daughters as a lasting “record of when Granny was a little Girl”. . .

The last chapter is a joy to read! —— about Lady Catherine’s and Sir William’s wedding day——by all accounts a bright, Heaven-sent day in early May 1897. In the spirit of that happy far-off day——I’ve married up this pair of books on my top shelf——both inscribed by their authors. . .

In 2022——there’s nothing remotely musty or airless about leafing through chapter ‘W.R.N’; only wafts of sweet scented Heather——and wedding bells pervade.

Sir William and Lady Catherine were happily married for twenty-six years. . .

One day, I intend to take the ‘lost’ portrait to Sir William’s grave in Highgate Cemetery; I believe it will be the closest the ‘lost’ portrait has physically been to Sir William since 1879——just eight feet away! —— which is nothing in terms of a world without end. . . 
‘Claudius Clear’ was Sir William Robertson Nicoll’s pen name. In the last chapter of ‘Letters on Life’ he talks about how every human being has an “Innermost Room” in their soul – a refuge where one goes to be alone with one’s thoughts——it’s a room that no other human being may enter – not even one’s nearest and dearest. After death our secrets in the Innermost Room die with us. . .

If only it were possible to open the door just a jar to Sir William’s innermost room and let just a chink of light in. . .

If I had to choose one book from my top shelf to underscore the message of this post – it would be Rev. William Robertson Nicoll’s first book, ‘Calls To Christ’ published in 1877. . .This slim, green volume paved Sir William’s way. . .Rev. W. R. Nicoll’s early ministerial calling——was fundamentally at the heart of his long and successful literary calling——as a Christian Journalist and ‘BOOKMAN’. So it’s on this rock, this foundation —— that the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ as featured in the ‘Woman at Home’ fixes us with her gaze and begs the question; was Sir William Robertson Nicoll as founder and Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Woman at Home’ culpable of printing fake news? I absolutely think NOT.  

On his deathbed, he whispered to his nurse, “I believe everything I have written about immortality.” 

I hear you Sir William!    

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There’s been a special addition to my top shelf——not a book but a different portrait ‘type’ of Emily Brontë. It was a recent gift——given in the true spirit of friendship by top Bonneteer supporter, EmilyInGondal. . .

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And because I’ve listened to ‘Cornfield Chase’ by Hans Zimmer several times over whilst compiling this post——here it is; the extended version. . .

It’s the feelings of eternalness when the church organ starts to play. . .  

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