Exploring Jane Austen and her relationship with the sea and coastal towns.
'A little sea-bathing would set me up forever.’ Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
Celebrating 250 years since the birth of one of the country’s greatest writers, from June 2025 Dorset Museum and Art Gallery will stage a wide-ranging exhibition exploring Jane Austen (1775-1817) and her relationship with the sea and coastal towns. Featuring Regency costume, Jane Austen’s letters, paintings, contemporary objects and interactive spaces, Jane Austen: Down to the Sea will be a must-see show in an important year for fans of Austen.
The exhibition will explore the sea both as a setting and character in her fictional worlds, as well as its effect on Jane Austen herself, and how it influenced and impacted her as an author. Highlighting the importance of the sea in Britain’s Regency era (c1795-1837), from holiday getaways to naval battles, the exhibition will also dive deep into its duality, where it harbours both positive and negative connotations to a person’s character.
Many of Austen’s novels incorporated themes and plots interwoven with the sea. In Persuasion Anne Elliot is “restored” by her visit to the seaside, and Lyme Regis itself stirs various emotions in the characters, such as when Louisa Musgrove is transfixed by the harbour wall around the bay. A first edition of the novel from the Jane Austen’s House in Chawton will be on display.
The sea was also important to Austen herself. She probably saw the sea at the age of 7 when she went to school in Southampton, and would often visit coastal resorts on holiday, which made their way into her novels. Two of her brothers were sailors in the Navy, and she looks out to sea in a watercolour painted by her sister.
In the exhibition space, costumes will show what cutting-edge fashion both men and women were expected to show off, including the riding coat of Austen’s brother, as well as a pink egret feather cockade that was probably worn by the author. Objects such as playing cards and seaside guidebooks will help explain how important evening balls were during these holidays on the coast, including the dancing slippers of Austen’s niece.
Jane Austen: Down to the Sea: 14 June – 14 September 2025
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, High West Street, Dorchester DT1 1XA
Entry: FREE as part of Museum entry: Admissions
Opening Hours: Daily: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Further Information: Jane Austen: Down to the Sea