Portrait of unique Jane Austen character revealed

Miss Lambe was described as 'thin, sweet and young' in Austen's unfinished novel, Sanditon

A portrait of the only Jane Austen character "explicitly of African descent" has been revealed, to mark 250 years since the author's birth.

Fictional Miss Lambe, a wealthy heiress, was described as "young, sweet and thin" in Austen's final book Sanditon, which remains unfinished because the author died before completing it.

Artist Lela Harris created the portrait on a collage of old paper from Harewood House, the former West Yorkshire home of an aristocratic slave-owner - in a nod to Harewood's "complex colonial history".

Ms Harris said she "greatly admired" how Austen introduced Miss Lambe into the book with no "fanfare" on her ethnicity, and had tried to channel that into the portrait.

The contemporary artist said she was also inspired by fashion depicted in The Lady's Magazine, a popular women's title which Austen read and took embroidery patterns from.

The magazine ran from 1770 until 1832, and contained fiction, poetry, essays, news, and articles on fashion and music.

Research by the University of York has underscored how influential The Lady's Magazine was at the time, and how much it was valued by Austen.

Professor Jennie Batchelor, from the department of English and Related Literature, said: "Austen has pulled many aspects of the magazine into her novels, which included character names and even the title of one her most popular works, Sense and Sensibility.

"Lela and I discussed a fashion plate, featured in the magazine in1819, called 'sea-side walking dress'.

"Although the image was printed a couple of years after Austen's death, in 1817, it was typical of the fashionable styles of the late 1810s."

Jane Austen was born 250 years ago, on 16 December 1775

She added: "It is remarkable how Lela has taken this illustration and reimagined it to bring to life one of the most intriguing characters that Austen created."

Ms Harris' portrait of Miss Lambe remains unfinished, echoing both the incomplete nature of the novel Sanditon, and the "historic erasure of women of colour from archival spaces".

Artist-in-residence Ms Harris said: "With this portrait I've really indulged my inner Austen fan-girl.

"Being able to use 20th-century papers from Harewood's stationery cupboard was a real joy."

Ms Batchelor, added: "We have waited centuries for an artist to bring Miss Lambe to life, and I can't think of a better tribute than Lela's stunning, richly textured and tender portrait of the only figure explicitly of African descent in a Jane Austen novel."

The portrait forms part of the exhibition Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter, which runs at Harewood House until 19 October.

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