Up until today —— Monday, 1st March 2021 —— it’s been so easy and convenient for critics of the original versions of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ to pick holes —— especially by dismissing them outright as mere copies of the reproduction published in the ‘Woman at Home’ in 1894. . .
and again, in ‘The Bookman Vol III’ published in 1896. . .
In other words —— their words, the originals as pictured above —— are allegedly not early enough to be seriously considered as genuine portraits of Emily Brontë; I strongly disagree.
The critics give no credence to the FACT that the reproduction was reliably identified as a portrait of “EMILY BRONTË” by the Editor of the ‘Woman at Home’ Sir William Robertson Nicoll. The very same Sir William Robertson Nicoll who saw the ‘lost’ portrait of Emily by Charlotte in 1879 —— when he visited the Brontës’ long-serving housekeeper, Martha Brown. But hey, the ‘Bonnet’ critics think —— nay feel —— that they ‘know’ better than the honorable gentleman who described the ‘lost’ portrait of Emily by Charlotte thus, “…a pencil sketch of Emily Brontë by Charlotte, which was very clearly and boldly drawn, and which Martha pronounced an excellent likeness.”
I ask you! could Charlotte have made identifying the sitter in this version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ anymore clearer —— bolder —— or unerasable?
It’s just as well then, I’m a firm believer in ‘The Truth Will Out Eventually’ maxim, and so it is to that end that an early version of the same portrait ‘type’ has come to light. . .
It’s a version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ that doesn’t just pick holes in the critics’ simplistic, limited reasoning —— but blasts one great big hole right through their tedious excuse of an ‘argument’ —— that the originals are later copies of the 1894 ‘Woman at Home’ reproduction; they’re not.
For almost thirty years, this version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ signed by William Warman —— has been hidden from general sight in a private collection. The portrait’s former owner reliably informed me that the painting was bought from an auction house in Stockport at Maxwells of Wilmslow in the early 1990’s. In February 2021 —— it entered the market again, listed only as “William Warman C19th Watercolour Georgian Girl In Bonnet. Gilt and Gesso Frame. 1830.” 
There isn’t much information readily available online about listed artist, William Warman, other than, he flourished at the very time the Brontës were living —— as well as after they’d all died. Hence, the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ ‘type’ is irrefutably earlier than the 1894 reproduction by anything up to half a century!
It’s clear that William Warman was a professional copyist of engravings and portraits of historic and famous people, because luckily there are a number of portraits by William Warman for sale online at ‘Somerset & Wood’ —— available to buy, view and read about HERE. This link is essential viewing in order to fully appreciate William Warman’s distinctive style of portraiture. Three of the William Warman portraits on sale at ‘Somerset & Wood’, are meticulous copies after recognisable engravings of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey, whilst the other three portrait ‘types’ have not been identified. That said, I have discovered that one of the unidentified portrait ‘types’ is in fact a portrait of King David —— simply because I have an original 19th century copy of the same portrait ‘type’ only by another artist’s hand. . .
So it’s clear that William Warman was about the business of copying portraits of historic and famous figures.
There can be no doubt at all that the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ is one-hundred percent attributable to William Warman’s hand because it distinctly —— and distinctively signed by him. . .
From carrying out several ‘William Warman’ searches over the last week or so, I have also discovered that the William Warman portraits currently for sale at ‘Somerset & Wood’ are derived from a 19th century portfolio that was originally auctioned at Bellmans auctioneers of Wisborough Green, West Sussex —— on the 18th, Thursday 19th September 2019.
To view the portfolio or ‘LOT 790’ —— it is imperative to click HERE —— although you must wait for the page to load owing to the number of exquisite drawings and watercolours that are available to view individually within the portfolio, 94 pages in all, including the six William Warman portraits now individually for sale at ‘Somerset & Wood’.
The OTHER significant ‘happenstance’ in this 19th century portfolio apart from the six William Warman’s, is an unsigned portrait on page five that features another pencil version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’; a version that is facially identical to a 1787 engraving of Samuel Woodforde’s ‘Wood-Nymph’.
Hand-coloured stipple engraving dated 1787.
As stated above, it is absolutely essential to click the link provided to view not just the six William Warman portraits but also the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ therein.
The relevance of these seven portraits all contained within one album, raises the question whether the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ in the album —— is possibly an early preparatory sketch by William Warman (derived from the 1787 Woodforde engraving) in readiness for his portrait of ‘Emily’. 
Of course, Emily Brontë wasn’t famous in her own lifetime but she was in William Warman’s. Online, William Warman is listed as having lived from 1806 to 1875, however, records show that William Thomas Warman was born in 1801, baptised in 1802, married in 1824, widowed in 1857, married again in 1864 and died in 1872.
It’s evident that graphite and watercolour were William Warman’s chosen mediums on paper. So keeping in mind the spirit of William Warman’s distinctive, semi-monochromatic style, I engaged the much needed services of a Genealogist in order to build a larger picture of William Thomas Warman —— to hopefully add some background colour and warmth to this enigmatic early-to-mid-to-late-ish 19th century portraitist who can boast a portrait of Queen Victoria in the Primary National Collection no less! Another essential link to check out: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06507/Queen-Victoria
Meanwhile, these are the Genealogist’s fascinating findings about William Thomas Warman —— ‘Professor of Drawing’:
“William was born 1801 Bishopsgate, London to Robert John Thomas and Ann (nee Peet) Robert is listed as an artist. William died 1872.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to discover if William received any formal art training.”
Unlike the William Warman portraits for sale at ‘Somerset & Wood’ —— the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ by him is suitably encased behind rippled glass, in a fine, oval-shaped gilt wood and gesso frame, the back of which confirms that it is original Victorian. . .
In fact, the flower-shaped mouldings spoke to me as much as the painting itself did —— which I think is their intention. . .
‘Under the Rose’ I think there is something hauntingly ‘Memento mori’ about the setting of this rather ghost-like version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’. . .
In the era of the Brontës and William Warman, flowers were widely embraced as a second language; they were used by the Victorians to convey messages in place of the spoken word. . .
In the Victorian ‘Language of Flowers’ the ‘Canterbury Bell’ symbolised ‘Acknowledgement’ (methinks very pertinent to today’s argument for the ‘Bonnet’!) but is there a subliminal message in these three bell-shaped flowers? as in Currer, Ellis and Acton! ‘Bell’ being the pseudonymous surname of the three Brontë Sisters.
I wonder whether the ‘Bonnet’ critics and skeptics will acknowledge any of these latest observations and findings? or will it be a repeat of when I pointed out ‘EMILY’ in the pencil portrait —— that they claim they can’t see and doesn’t exist. . .
“E M I L Y” secretly written in the folds of the drapery.
‘Never mind’ that I’ve already proved in a previous blog post —— that Charlotte did integrate words, names, sentiments —— as in these highlighted examples in an authenticated artwork by Charlotte Brontë in the Brontë Parsonage Museum’s own collection. . .
‘My Kindred’
‘étude’
This very unique trait singles out the pencil version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ as a genuine portrait of Emily Brontë by Charlotte; whilst William Warman’s version proves that the portrait ‘type’ existed well before the reproduction was published in the ‘Woman at Home’ in 1894.
Both Charlotte Brontë and William Warman were copyists of engravings. However, in the case of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ —— I think it was William Warman who copied Charlotte’s ‘lost’ portrait of her sister, Emily, and this is my hypothesis. . .
Martha Brown was keeper of the ‘lost’ portrait until she died in 1880. Sir William Robertson Nicoll saw the ‘lost’ portrait in 1879, one year before Martha passed away. The Brontë Parsonage Museum website says of Martha Brown, “Martha had featured in Elizabeth Gaskell’s bestselling biography, The Life of Charlotte Brontë (1857), and in her later years became something of a celebrity. Martha treasured a large collection of Brontë memorabilia that she was happy to display, but reluctant to sell. On her death this collection was divided between her sisters and gradually dispersed.”
William Warman died in 1872, so he could only have seen the ‘lost’ portrait whilst it was still in Martha Brown’s possession. As a commercial artist who specialised in small, delicate, watercolour and graphite portraits of mainly historic and famous people —— I think that it’s plausible that William Warman paid a visit to Martha Brown. Did he have a commission to create a portrait of Emily Brontë? —— who by that time was famous due to the success of her one and only novel ‘Wuthering Heights’ published in 1847.
Meantime, Branwell’s ‘Pillar Portrait’ and ‘Profile Portrait’ of ‘Emily’ —— remained hidden away from public knowledge —— folded-up on top of Arthur Bell Nicholls’ wardrobe in Ireland, where they remained undisturbed until 1914. After Charlotte’s death in 1855 – public interest in the Brontë sisters rocketed – so it stands to reason that there would have been great demand for a portrait of Emily —— author of ‘Wuthering Heights’. The only person that owned a genuine portrait of Emily Brontë drawn by Charlotte at that time was Martha Brown, which was the portrait seen by Sir William Robertson Nicoll in 1879, later ‘lost’. The very same, Sir William Robertson Nicoll —— who was the founding editor of the ‘Woman at Home’ and ‘The Bookman’ that later reproduced a printed version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ —— in 1894 and 1896 respectively. . .
Update.
News of another ‘Bonnet Portrait’ by William Warman; a signed drawing. It’s important to bear in mind that William Warman was essentially a copyist. He painted recognisable, famous and historical figures, copied from engravings of portraits by other artists.
William Warman evidently thought the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ an appealing subject.
If William Warman’s pair of virtually identical ‘Bonnet Portraits’ are not portraits of Emily Brontë — it begs the question, which other famous or historical figure does the portrait ‘type’ represent?
Earlier today, Monday 1st March 2021 —— was the funeral of Professor Christopher Heywood—— ‘The Number One Champion of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ of Emily Brontë’ —— never, EVER to be forgotten.
Almost four years to the day, 11th. March 2017, I read an abstract online about the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ from a paper by Professor Christopher Heywood, published in ‘Brontë Studies’ – the Brontë Society’s own academic journal. Curious and wanting to know more, I wrote to its author. Having only received negative responses up to that point —— from the curators that I had contacted about the pencil version of the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ —— I didn’t quite know what reception I could hope for. . .
Four years on from that tentative first contact, and a “haystack” of emails later —— ‘all’ I can say now is that I shall remember our unlikely friendship with undying affection. To my way of thinking, Christopher will always be thought of as a brilliant meteor —— whose tail I was luckily in time to catch. And ONLY because of our shared belief in this ‘pair’ of portraits. . .
The following abstract is from one of Professor Heywood’s earliest emails to me, that poetically and prophetically —— sums up our Quest for the ‘Bonnet Portrait’ of Emily Brontë, thus far. I can remember reading these words for the first time and thinking “WOW!” —— and they still do that almost four years to the day later. . .
“Apologies for being severe, or on the other hand, no apologies, as it’s my job to winnow the chaff from the grain. You hold the grain in your hand; the curators can only offer chaff.” Christopher Heywood – ‘Yaffle’ —— Monday, 13th. March 2017
