Tiny DIY Books by Victorian Tweens
What could be better than tiny books? Tiny books made by tiny beloved authoresses! We all know and love Jane Eyre, the story of an orphan seeking out a path to happiness in this wild world (“It’s hard to get by just upon a smile, girl” —Charlotte Brontë). But what many Brontë fans don’t know is that her literary career began much earlier and much more ADORABLY. Check out these miniature books made by the 13-year-old Charlotte and her 12-year-old little brother, Branwell!
Charlotte and Branwell crafted dozens and dozens of these little (4×5-cm) books. Since paper was expensive back in the day, they made the books by sewing together scraps of newspaper lying around the house. One of the best things about the books is the handwriting, which is so small that you need a magnifying glass to read it.
Some books have short stories inside, like Charlotte’s “The Poetester,” about an aspiring poet who tries to off one of his critics after a bad review. Others are parodies of popular Victorian literary magazines. Have you ever babysat for a 12-year-old who spent his free time making 2-inch replicas of The New Yorker, complete with cartoons and a 12-year-old’s “Talk of the Town”? Me neither, but that was basically Branwell Brontë.
Branwell is very much the precocious little brother, always trying to one-up his big sister. He makes fun of Charlotte’s writing, in one book, for lacking the “grave and gorgeous light” of his own. You know, classic little brother stuff. Still, they continued to collaborate on these books throughout their teenage years. Charlotte was probably thinking, “You sure can be annoying, but there is only so much roaming the moors a girl can do, so I guess I’ll make tiny books with you.” (Oh sorry, I have to run, I just got offered a million-dollar contract to write a historical novel about the Brontës.)
It’s hard to imagine tweens today making these books, unless we started forcing them to take needlepoint classes, which apparently did wonders for dexterity, and took away their Hulu. Which happens to be my 2012 presidential campaign platform (YES WE CAN). In the meantime, if you ever find yourself at the Pierpont Morgan Library or Harvard’s Houghton Library, you should ask to take a look at these books.
Liz Maynes-Aminzade lives in Cambridge and has six Tumblrs; five of them are secret, but the other one is okay.
i took my boyfriend to the morgan library to see jane austen's letters a couple of years ago, and he was like, "hey! these are kind of funny!" and then he read northanger abbey and totally dug it. (it is my recommended starter-austen.)
time to introduce him to the brontes!!!
@blahstudent
Rich Santos' next piece: How to Read Jane Austen and the Brontes with your Woman.
"If you're unsure of a comment that you want to make while reading, it's best not to say it."
!!! These are basically like 19th century 'zines!
Oh Branwell, you rogue!
(Didn't he sort of look like a New Yorker cartoon?)
@pityslice I just think, Aww, Poor Branwell. Things weren't the same after his Mrs Robinson dilemma.
1. I was really hoping these were tiny DIY books, as in, miniature books of DIY projects, rather than hand-made books
2. this is pre-Victorian, no? (post-Regency, but still in the reign of George IV, so like, "Regency" rather than Regency. I know I'm not the only English lit. doctoral candidate/trashy historical novel devotee here.)
3. aw. AW.
@Lucia Martinez If it's around 1830 then it's pre-Victorian but juuuuuuuust. Which you basically already knew! So I'm just confirming! I'll be over here or something.
(Also, tiny DIY!!! Isn't DIY basically all that gently reared Regency/Victorian ladies did anyway! That would be so great except for the institutionalized sexism and no antibiotics and stuff!!)
@Lucia Martinez "Tiny DIY Books Made by One 'Regency' Tween and One 'Regency' Teen, The Latter of Whom Later Became a Notable Victorian Novelist." More accurate, yet somehow less catchy – that must be why none of our dissertations ever go viral.
@Kristen you forgot the colon. IT HAS TO HAVE A COLON OR YOU CAN'T FILE. unwritten phd rule.
The ways in which The Hairpin embraces lady history are continually gratifying to my not-so-hidden nerd!
I am wiggin out because the writer is an old friend of my sister's and because it appears that these books were once owned by Amy Lowell, who left her books to Houghton Library, and about whom I am currently writing my thesis. Dude.
I love making miniature books. My four year old son saw some recently and asked that we make some for his doll house. It was rather fun. We put it together and then he dictated a story for me to write down.
@gfrancie That is awesome.
@gfrancie That is the most adorable story I have ever heard in my life.
@Edith Zimmerman we are crafty beavers!
I, and I suspect anyone else who has ever taught middle school, will support your presidential campaign.
Although I'm somewhat leery of giving pointy things to tweens. Is there such a thing as blunt, squishy needlepoint?
@Cawendaw There kind of is! You can buy big blunt plastic needles which could possibly be used to hurt someone, though it'd be easier and more effective just to punch them.
@Mame16th Yeah, the ones you use with yarn and those plastic grids!
That's it, if I ever pop out kids they are being named Charlotte and Branwell, and I will leave old newspapers and copies of the new yorker EVERYWHERE and ban TV and such in the hopes that they will make these.
@Megan Patterson@facebook I fully support more people in the world being named Charlotte. Currently, it's just me and about 45 old ladies with lipstick all over their teefs.
@Charlotte Oh don't worry, I have run into a lot of little girls named Charlotte. They are all under five. Though they probably would have lipstick all over their teefs too if given half a chance.
@Charlotte Not so! There are TONS of Charlottes in France. And like another commenter said, I think we're seeing a resurgence in the name…maybe something to do w/ the rash of girl characters on TV shows named Charlotte (but called "Charlie" or "Chuck" for short)?
I'm going to drop this intel here because some of you might really appreciate it: Ian McShane a.k.a. Al Swearengen played Heathcliff in a shitty BBC production of Wuthering Heights back in '67. Dreams really do come true.
@cat of the canals Ian McShane as Heathcliff. Golly.
@cat of the canals Swidgen!
@cat of the canals Wait, how old was he in '67? 15?
…..I just looked it up. 25. I didn't realize he was that old. Hot.
"The Poetester" ????? ADORABLE
Love love love love love love love love love.
I want to see the advertisements! Just imagine what products the little Brontes would advertise!
Beautiful! Would have loved some transcriptions of the illegible parts of the books shown in the photos! I used to make miniature books when I was a kid. I wish I knew where they were now!
I love this post, but really, Hairpin, we're saying "authoresses"? Really?
Victorian society had A Thing in general for miniatures, no?
One of the worst parts about being an "adult" is that I don't really have an excuse to buy tiny dishware, tables, blankets, &c. All that's allowed me is one tiny purse!
my sister once made a mini newspaper of The Sunday Times and it had an article about the queen's bra size. it was date friday the 12th 1990
I used to make tiny tiny centimeter and half centimeter fortune tellers in elementary school (except they had no fortunes because if that was the case my work would be on display at a ripleys believe it or not or something). I sold them on the playground for pencils and stickers to trade, it was very entrepreneurial.
ps, the trick is you have to pop out all four petal thingies(?) with a very sharp pencil. now you know.