Artwork by Jane Austen’s Sister Cassandra on Show
Pencil drawing by Cassandra, The Bourne and part of the Fortress from the Neva St Petersburgh, inscribed at right corner ‘CE Austen’.
The largest collection of Cassandra Austen's artwork is on display at Jane Austen's House until September.
The most well known of Cassandra’s surviving art are her family portraits, including her unfinished sketch of her sister Jane. The Art of Cassandra brings together 10 of her pieces, representing the most comprehensive public display of her confirmed work.
A talented water-colorist, the exhibition includes six examples which have never been displayed publicly before, featuring recent donations and loans to Jane Austen’s House from descendants of the Austen family, and the Holburne Museum in Bath.
Curated by Janine Barchas, Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The Lost Books of Jane Austen (2019) and The Novel Life of Jane Austen: a graphic biography (2025), her recent research has shown that many of Cassandra’s artworks were in fact scrupulously copied from existing books and prints.
“Cassandra was an accomplished artist and for the Austen family her artworks were as important as Jane’s writing," said Sophie Reynolds, Head of Collections, Interpretation and Engagement at Jane Austen’s House. "Her skill was akin to Jane’s own, neat and careful, with delicacy and lightness of touch, so to see them is a pleasure in itself, but more than that, for those interested in Jane Austen, Cassandra’s artworks also remind us of the many paintings and drawings in Jane’s novels."
The Art of Cassandra runs until September 7 .An online version of the exhibition is also be available.
