Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels

ARC, Winchester 26 July - 2 November 2025

Willis Museum, Basingstoke 12 November 2025 - 22 February 2026

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was one of Hampshire’s most famous working women, gaining a small amount of financial independence from her writing. Her novels have stood the test of time and continue to inspire and amuse millions of people today. Books such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility feature well-loved heroines Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, and Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Less often noticed or remembered are the women in working roles who are incidental characters in her stories. ‘Beyond the Bonnets’ explores these lives lived in the background. Visitors will discover the voices and stories of working women from Austen’s Hampshire and further afield and find the parallels between fact and fiction. They will follow the precarious lives of real Regency women navigating limited opportunities and rights as they worked in domestic service, education and childcare, and trade.