Sewing box belonging to Cara Bray

This sewing box belonged to Cara Bray, a friend of George Eliot. Cara was part of the Rosehill Circle. They were a group of radicals that met in Cara’s house, Rosehill in Coventry.

This sewing box contains locks of hair from two of Cara’s siblings, Charles and Harriet. There is also a quote from Middlemarch in this sewing box. This shows the lifelong friendship between Cara Bray and George Eliot. The box is made from walnut and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.