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Title
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Harriet burning the pencil
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Description
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Here we see Harriet burning the nub of a pencil given to her by Mr. Elton as Emma stands behind her. Harriet fell in love with Mr. Elton with Emma’s encouragement, but he loved Emma, not Harriet. Mr. Elton proposed to Emma after a dinner party at the Weston’s house, Randalls, but she refused. Mr. Elton then went away, and married a woman he met in Bath. Harriet then came to visit Emma and brought with her a box of mementos of Mr. Elton. In this box was the nub of a pencil and a piece of unused gauze from a bandage. She then threw them into the fire as a means of catharsis. In this image, Harriet sits in front of the fire, throwing the pencil into the fire as Emma stands behind her looking into the fire. This scene occurs in chapter 40 as noted underneath the title of this image. The characters are shown in the traditional regency style, with Emma and Harriet wearing 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. 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 Prince of Wales was a fan of Austen’s work, and she dedicates the novel to him. The regency period is associated with the rise of neoclassicism in art and fashion. The same image appears as the frontispiece for the Dent 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, and 1897 editions of Emma.
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Image Creator
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William Cubit Cooke (engraver)
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Identifier
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mta:25544
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Source Name
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Emma
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Image
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mta_25544_OBJ.png
mta_25544_OBJ.png