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More Birthday Events for Jane Austen!

Posted in 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen, Jane Austen Festival, Jane Austen's World, tagged , , , , on December 18, 2025| 1 Comment »

By Brenda S. Cox

“One cannot have too large a party.” —Mr. Weston, Emma, volume 3, chapter 6

Happy Birthday all year long, dear Jane!

On Austen’s birthday, Dec. 16, we visited a few of the many events for Jane Austen’s 250th birthday this year. Here are a few more that my friends have attended:

July: Jane Austen Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio

(Reported by Christel Ford)

The yearly Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky moved to Cincinnati, Ohio this year. The venue was the Heritage Village Museum, where sessions were held in historic buildings. The Post Office had examples of period letters, with docents answering questions about mail service of the period and letters.

Many attendees wore beautiful period clothing.  A tent village offered many types of shops. Dresses, hats, fabric and sundries were for sale.

A print shop demonstration of printing at the Cincinnati Jane Austen Festival was fascinating and informative.  
Photo ©Christel Ford, 2025
Many different lectures about the period were offered, including a side saddle demonstration and a display of antique clothing with embroidery. Costume expert Ann Wass was one of the speakers at the Cincinnati Jane Austen Festival.
Photo ©Christel Ford, 2025
Participants at the Cincinnati Jane Austen Festival experienced period games, such as this game of graces, played by Christel Ford and Melissa Johnson.
Photo ©Christel Ford, 2025

Next year’s Festival will be in April; get your costumes ready!

June to September: A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250 at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan, NY

(Reported by Renata Dennis, JASNA regional coordinator for Georgia)

A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250 at the Morgan Library.
Photo ©Renata Dennis, 2025

Many Janeites traveled up to New York City to see the fantastic exhibition hosted by the Morgan Library for Jane’s 250th birthday. A group from our Georgia region visited together on the opening weekend. Renata Dennis said the exhibit was jam-packed with fascinating materials. She enjoyed seeing everyday objects like letters, maps, a ledge of expenditures, and a reproduction of Jane’s pelisse. The exhibit addressed different aspects of Jane’s life, her family, life in England at that time, and her relationships. It also included her books in different languages and adaptations.

Some highlights were silhouettes of Jane’s parents, some of her music manuscripts, letters, and literary manuscripts, her turquoise ring, first editions of Emma and Mansfield Park, early illustrations of Sense and Sensibility, and much more.

The exhibition website says:

“A Lively Mind immerses viewers in the inspiring story of Jane Austen’s authorship and her gradual rise to international fame. Iconic artifacts from Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, England join manuscripts, books, and artworks from the Morgan, as well as from a dozen institutional and private collections, to present compelling new perspectives on Austen’s literary achievement, her personal style, and her global legacy.”

Replica of Jane Austen’s desk, with wallpaper from her house, at the Morgan exhibition.
Photo ©Renata Dennis, 2025
Scholar Juliette Wells of Goucher College (which has a fantastic collection itself) shows visitors Austen letters at the Morgan exhibit. At the JASNA AGM, Wells talked about the intricacies of identifying various artifacts related to Austen.
Photo ©Renata Dennis, 2025
Silhouettes of George and Cassandra Austen at the Morgan exhibit.
Photo ©Renata Dennis, 2025

Harewood House, Leeds, England: Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter

(Reported by Lori Mulligan Davis)

In 2025, Harewood House celebrated the 250th birthdays of two national icons, Jane Austen and painter J.M.W. Turner. They never met in life, but they mingle daily in wallets, with Turner on the £20 and Austen on the £10 banknote. Working with the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York, Harewood House Trust exhibited artworks and artifacts on topics of interest to Austen and Turner, including domestic tourism of country houses, the rising importance of sociability, the rage for the picturesque landscape, and the results of empire and slavery. Many first-time guests coming for Austen or Turner were equally glad to experience one of the finest of England’s great estates.

House porter John Jewell’s The Tourist’s Companion, or the History and Antiquities of Harewood, 1819, offering household staff, particularly the housekeeper (think: Mrs. Reynolds), information for conducting weekly tours of house and furnishings to the public.
Photo ©Lorraine Mulligan Davis, 2025.
In the early 19th century, visitors to nearby Harrogate would tour Harewood House, even purchasing souvenirs like this hand-painted traveling writing set.
Photo ©Lorraine Mulligan Davis, 2025.
One of Anya Taylor-Joy’s handsome, clever, and rich costumes from the EMMA. 2020 movie, displayed at Harewood House.
Photo ©Lorraine Mulligan Davis, 2025.
The unfinished manuscript of Sanditon, written just months before Austen’s death. Harewood House commissioned Lela Harris to depict Sanditon’s Miss Lambe, Austen’s only character said to be of African heritage. The unfinished portrait reflects Austen’s unfinished novel and the systematic erasure of women of color from archival spaces.
Photo ©Lorraine Mulligan Davis, 2025.

Many, many more events around the world celebrated Jane Austen’s 250th birthday this year. I hope you got to attend some of them! Tell us about your favorites!

Brenda S. Cox is the author of Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England. She also blogs at Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen.

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