Objects

Explore highlights from the George Eliot collections

Painting of Dr Robert Brabant. Shows a man looking slightly to one side. He has white/grey hair and is wearing a high white collar, white shirt, black neck tie and black jacket.

Portrait of Dr Robert Herbert Brabant

This portrait shows Dr Robert Herbert Brabant (1781 to 1866)
Watercolour painting showing the side of a large house on the right hand side. A tree with bare branches is on a lawn in front of the trees and green and brown trees are on the left hand side. Blue sky and clouds are overhead.

Sent to Coventry
A small statue of a figure with long hair and arms slightly outstretched. The figure is wearing robes.

Statuette of Christ

This is the statuette of the Risen Christ which stood in George Eliot's study at her home in Coventry
A black and white photograph of Rufa Hennell. It shows a woman whose hair is plaited around the top. There is a light veil around the back of her head. She is wearing a white collar and dark cloak or shawl fastened with a broach. The photograph as a gold border and frame.

Photograph of Rufa Hennell

This is a photograph of Rufa Hennell, taken in Rome around 1865
Handwritten letter.

Letters from George Eliot to Sara Hennell

Copy of George Eliot letters to Sara Hennell
Open book showing the inner pages. The right hand page has the following text. The Life of Jesus, critically examined by Dr David Friedrich Strauss. Translated from the fourth German edition.

Sara Hennell’s copy of ‘Das Leben Jesu’ by Strauss

George Eliot translated Das Leben Jesu by Friedrich Strauss from German into English