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Title
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‘Read it aloud,’ said their father.
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Description
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Here we see Elizabeth, Jane and Mr. Bennet reading a letter from Mr. Gardiner telling them that he has located Lydia and Mr. Wickham in London. Mr. Gardiner is Mr. Bennet’s brother. Elizabeth reads the letter as Jane looks over her shoulder. The letter says that Mr. Wickham will marry Lydia, Jane and Elizabeth’s sister, if Mr. Bennet will provide him with an income. Mr. Bennet gladly agreed to save the reputation of the family. Lydia’s running away with Mr. Wickham while unmarried threatened the reputation of the whole family and put her sisters’ marriage prospects in jeopardy. This scene occurs in chapter 49 as noted underneath the title of this image. The characters are shown in the traditional regency style, with Mr. Bennet wearing waistcoat, tailcoat, and knickers that stopped at the knee. Elizabeth and Jane wear the regency style dress with an empire waist. Their hair is worn tied up, as was tradition for women after their coming out before the queen, signaling her entrance into society. Jane wears a bonnet, a popular fashion of this period to protect her from the sun. Bonnets were especially popular because in this period a common pastime for women was going out on walks. The regency period dated to the early nineteenth century (1811-1820) when George, Prince of Wales, later George IV (r. 1820-1830), reigned as regent for his mentally ill father, King George III (r. 1760-1820). The regency period is associated with the rise of neoclassicism in art and fashion.
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Image Creator
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Charles Edmund Brock (engraver);Henry Matthew Brock (engraver)
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Charles Edmund Brock (engraver)
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Henry Matthew Brock (engraver)
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Identifier
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mta:25679
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Source Name
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Pride and Prejudice
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Image
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mta_25679_OBJ.png