Jane Austen is a renowned English novelist, known for her wit, social commentary, and portrayal of the English Regency period. She was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England, the seventh of eight children of George Austen, a rector, and Cassandra Leigh Austen. Jane Austen's early years were spent in a lively, affectionate family, where she was encouraged to read and write, and to develop her love for literature. Her childhood experiences would shape her writing in later life, as she drew inspiration from her observations of the world around her.

Narration & Art: Becca Segovia
Writing, Editing & Music Direction: Andre Segovia

Timestamps:
0:00 Early Life & First Writings
3:28 First Love
5:22 Prolific Period
7:25 Time in Bath
10:58 Time in Chawton
13:24 Jane’s #1 Fan
14:42 Later Life & Death
17:51 What did Jane Look Like
20:00 Re-Creations Revealed

She began writing stories and plays at a young age, and these early works show her developing talent as a writer.

In 1801, the family moved to Bath, a fashionable city where they hoped to make connections and improve their social standing. Jane disliked Bath, finding it artificial and superficial, and her lack of writing during the beginning of this period reflects this. However, her time in Bath provided inspiration for two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

After her father's death in 1805, Jane moved with her mother and sister to a small cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, where she spent the rest of her life. It was during this period that she wrote the majority of her novels, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma. These works are now considered classics of English literature, and are admired for their insight into human nature, their social commentary, and their witty dialogue.

Despite her literary success, Jane Austen remained relatively unknown during her lifetime. She published her novels anonymously, and her work was not widely read until after her death. She lived a quiet, unremarkable life, and her main source of pleasure came from her family and her writing.

Jane Austen's legacy has endured long after her death. Her novels have been adapted for film, television, and stage, and continue to be read and studied around the world.

In terms of her appearance, there are few reliable descriptions and portraits of Jane. Her sister Cassandra was an amateur artist, and she created two authenticated portraits of Jane. However, one doesn’t show her face, and the other is an amateur-looking sketch.

Jane’s appearance is such a curiosity to Austen lovers that actual forensic attempts have been made to try to recreate her, including a forensic painting and wax figure created by artist Melissa Dreng for the Jane Austen Centre. These are rather controversial to lovers of Jane Austen, so I’m curious what you think.

Descriptions of Jane agree she had dark, curling hair around her face and bright hazel eyes. She had a rather doll-like face with rosy cheeks, and a clear complexion with a small nose and mouth. Overall, Jane Austen's appearance remains something of a mystery, but it is clear that her intelligence, wit, and charm were far more important than her physical attributes.

There seem to be many more modern attempts at beautifying Jane - these subsequent portraits, made using Cassandra’s sketch as a starting point, clearly smooth her out. One even shows her wearing a wedding ring - she famously never married, so it’s clear accuracy wasn’t their main goal here. In the decades after her death, her works remained popular, and it seems that publishing books by a prettier author was a winning marketing strategy.

So, in summary, I’ve created my re-creation directly from the Cassandra sketch, deeming it the most reliable.


Find us here:
Instagram: @Royalty_Now_
Tik Tok: @RoyaltyNow
Etsy: Etsy.com/Shop/RoyaltyNow
Patreon: Patreon.com/RoyaltyNow
RoyaltyNowStudios.com

This video creation and final image are ©Royalty Now.