‘Bonnet, Cloak and Daguerrotype!’ —— because the sitter’s name ‘E M I L Y’ —— is enfolded in her cloak. . .

En route to unfolding the Truth about ‘E M I L Y’ —— I recently came across a carte de visite (CDV) of three instantly recognisable Victorian women —— who could easily be mistaken for ‘The Brontë Sisters’ of Haworth——unless that is one knows better. . .

CDV’s weren’t invented until the year before Charlotte Brontë died; the carte de visite photographic format was patented by André Disdéri in 1854.

For the record, Emily Brontë died in 1848, Anne Brontë in 1849 —— and Charlotte in 1855; the carte de visite in question is circa 1860 to 1867. The photographer was W. G. Smith of 11, Upper Prospect Place, Southampton. . .

11, Upper Prospect Place, Southampton——was the studio address of W. G. Smith until 1867 at the latest; as ‘Cardomania’ wasn’t widely popular in Britain until the late 1850’s —— I’d confidently date this CDV of three ‘nameless’ Victorian women to the 1860’s. . .

And like it says on’t tin (verso) “PHOTOGRAPHED FROM LIFE”

A plain card with no text on the front plus its square-shaped corners (as opposed to rounded corners) —— are all indicative of an early carte de visite.

A trio of Victorian CDV’s from the Southampton studio of W.G. Smith. . .

It’s all in the detail; note the highlighted areas in purple that feature the same moulding in the background.

And just so that I could believe my own eyes! —— I did a double-take of the three women to be sure I had recognised their faces correctly. . .

Charlotte Brontë ???

Emily Brontë ???

Anne Brontë ???

I propose they are the same three women, in the exact same order —— as those posing as the ‘Brontë Sisters’ in the well-known ‘Daguerreotype’. For anyone reading this post who isn’t familiar with the ‘Brontë Sisters’ Daguerreotype —— it can be viewed and read about in great detail here: https://brontesisters.co.uk. . .

As ever, my findings are dedicated to the memory of Professor Christopher Heywood and ‘his’ beloved ‘Bonnet Portrait’ of Emily. . .

Meanwhile, Charlotte’s ‘lost’ portrait of Emily——promises to stop at nothing because it IS genuine.

And whilst ‘E M I L Y’ quietly continues to bide her time —— my hunt for clues (and apparently other ‘Bonnet Portraits’ I didn’t know I was looking for!) goes on. . .

Side-by-side. Undeniably ‘E M I L Y’ and CDV together.