There are no known photographs of the Bronte Sisters but one intriguing image has yet to be explained.

The Bronte Sisters - A True Likeness?

Several years ago a photo titled "The Bronte Sisters"  was found in France. It wasn't thought to be of any great interest until it was discovered that there were no photos of the sisters.

A photo on glass, it dates from the 1850s, and written on the back in French is “Les Sœurs Brontë.” Although Emily and Anne died in the 1840s, copies were made of their other portraits in the 1850s, one by a photographer from France.1.


Left: Branwell Bronte's 'Pillar' portrait of the Bronte sisters. It was hidden away and not seen by the public until 1914.
Right: The collodion photo which dates from the 1850s.
If these are the Bronte sisters then the photo is a copy of an 1840s daguerreotype.

 

1. The photograph is an 1850s image on glass. The correct English term for this is 'wet-plate collodion positive' but the American term 'ambrotype' is also widely used both sides of the Atlantic. So as not to confuse people, it is referred to as a 'collodion photo' or 'photo on glass' throughout this website.