Explore our new contemporary art installation in the foyer.
As part of our focus on childhood for 2024, artist Charlotte Dawson reflects on the Bront
ës' childhood toys and the stories and characters of their early writings. Her new sculptural piece, on display in the Museum until the end of the year, pairs these themes with the visual language of traditional letterpress printing, recycling the metal from old printing presses to create intricate sculptures.
Each figure within the artwork references a character from the Brontë juvenilia, presented as toy soldiers. The characters featured were used by the Brontë children as early pseudonyms and take direct influence from descriptions and drawings by the Brontës.
The piece investigates the importance of publishing in the Brontës’ early creative ventures, the rise in countrywide industry during the nineteenth century, and the practice of worldbuilding in the siblings' childhood storytelling.
Charlotte Dawson's installation will be on display in the Brontë Parsonage Museum Foyer from Wednesday 3 July to Sunday 29 December 2024. To book tickets to the Museum to see the installation, please go to our
Visit Us page or call 01535 640192.
Based in Sheffield, Charlotte Dawson is an artist working across object-based practice and installation. Her practice is influenced by the materials and objects found in public and shared spaces, alongside objects that reference collective experiences.
Charlotte focuses on the implementation of commonplace objects as vessels for memory, including concepts of souvenir-hood, collections – both personal and historic – and using objects to form social histories and a building of self.