One of the undisputed greats of English literature, the celebrated novels of Jane Austen, including and have continued to resonate with new generations. The English writer’s six classics put the experiences of women front and center in narratives that are governed by the strict social and moral codes of Regency-era England. Yet, despite its specific context, Austen’s wit and incisive observations about human nature have seen her work continually re-read and readapted for film, theatre, and television.
This summer, Austen is the subject of several transatlantic museum exhibitions marking 250 years since her birth, in 1775. As well as spotlighting the novelist’s now iconic characters and storylines, these shows aim to reveal new sides to her masterpieces and bring together an array of art and memorabilia that is testament to their enduring popularity.
The Morgan Library and Museum in New York City is making full use of its rich collection of Austen’s correspondence and manuscripts, begun by J.P. Morgan’s son Jack in the 1920s, to stage “A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250.” The landmark survey, which also includes additional loans from 15 institutions, traces Austen’s story from her earliest attempts to establish herself to her eventual international renown, focusing on her cultural impact in North America. It is on view through September 14.
Install view of “A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250,” Morgan Stanley West Gallery. Photo: Janny Chiu, 2025, © The Morgan Library & Museum.
Celebrations in the U.K., meanwhile, are largely concentrated in Austen’s home county of Hampshire, to the south-west of London. These range from a Regency Ball in Winchester on August 16 to the exhibition “Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels,” which reveals the lives of everyday women in Georgian Hampshire and tours the region until February 2026. At Jane Austen’s House, the cottage where she lived in the small village of Chawton, “Austenmania!” is a tribute to her enduring appeal across screens big and small. It runs through January 4, 2026.
An Enduring Legacy
Austen’s books pull the viewer into high society in late Georgian England, revealing its charms while offering a wry commentary on its social conventions. But what about Austen herself? Visitors to “A Lively Mind” at the Morgan will learn how the writer was supported in her ambitions by her family but still needed perseverance to defy the limiting gender expectations of her day. A sense of her character shines through from letters to her older sister Cassandra while contemporary artworks build up and image of her world.
Jane Austen, Emma, volume two. Philadelphia: M. Carey, 1816. Image courtesy of Goucher College Special Collections & Archives, Alberta H. and Henry G. Burke Collection.
Even in Austen’s lifetime, her impact would reach far beyond the quaint villages she called home. The Morgan exhibition includes four of the first U.S. editions of , which was printed in Philadelphia in 1816, a year before Austen’s death. The influence of Austen’s most famous lines is demonstrated by the inclusion of Amy Sherald’s 2019 painting , the title of which quotes the opener.
The exhibition also revels in one lesser aspect of Austen’s creative output, that of her elegant sense of style. It will include fashion plates, a turquoise ring, and a reproduction of her silk pelisse coat, featuring an oak leaf motif pattern in yellow over gold ground. The 1814 original is currently on view until October 20 at City Museum in Winchester, England where visitors can also see two of the novelist’s purses and her personalized ivory spool case.
Installation view of “Austenmania!” at Jane Austen’s House, 2025. Photo: Luke Shears, courtesy Jane Austen’s House.
In the 20th century, Austen’s legacy multiplied across new media, most notably film and television. This was never more true than in 1995, a year that saw four beloved Austen adaptations that remain fan favorites to this day. The BBC’s starring Colin Firth, the same broadcaster’s , the feature film starring Emma Thompson, and -inspired chick flick are all the subject of “Austenmania!” Viewers can marvel over scripts, production notes, press cuttings, and merch, either in person or online.
Women in Georgian Britain
Austen’s many female protagonists, from the Bennet sisters in to Emma Woodhouse of , Anne Elliot in , and Catherine Morland in , have won the hearts of millions of readers. But what about the women in the background? The centerpiece of the Hampshire Cultural Trust’s program of events is the exhibition “Beyond the Bonnets,” on view at the Gallery at the Arc in Winchester through November 2. It tours to the Willis Museum in nearby Basingstoke from November 12 until February 22, 2026.
W.H. Pyne, Women are employed performing a variety of domestic tasks. Image courtesy of the Wellcome Collection.
The exhibition brings together audio vignettes from the novels, extracts from Austen’s letters to her sister Cassandra, newspaper clippings, and 65 archival domestic objects to spotlight some of the novel’s more minor characters, including business owners and women in service roles like housekeepers and governesses. Their stories–and those of real women who the Austens encountered in day-to-day life–offer a glimpse into the precarious reality of making a living for the many women who were not born into England’s upper classes.
Examples of these real, everyday women who visitors will encounter include Mrs. Mary Martin of Basingstoke, who ran a local public inn and later a draper’s shop, and Ann Freeman of Alresford, who supported herself after her husband’s death through a successful glazing business.
“The exhibition brings together a multitude of Hampshire voices–Austen’s distinctive and wry voice, the voices of individual working women from all around her and the echoes of their lives found in collections and archives,” said “Beyond the Bonnets” curator Kathleen Palmer. “Visitors will discover unexpected and rich real-life histories of Georgian Hampshire in parallel with enjoying the acute observation of Austen’s own words.”
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
