For many modern readers, the definitive images of Jane Austen’s characters come from film and television: Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the BBC’s “Pride and Prejudice,” or anya Taylor-joy as “Emma” on the big screen.

But a new exhibition in bath, england, delves into the rich history of Austen’s characters as envisioned by illustrators and stage adaptors.

The exhibition features the work of Hugh Thomson, who created 160 images for the first fully illustrated edition of “Pride and Prejudice” in the late 19th century.

Also on display are sketches for helen Jerome‘s 1936 theatrical adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”. Jerome’s version is credited with transforming darcy into a romantic lead, perhaps influencing later portrayals like Firth’s.

The exhibition also includes more understated works by wood engraver and illustrator joan Hassall, known for her elegant contributions to the Folio Society’s Austen series in the 1950s and 60s.

The exhibition at the Holburne Museum is timed to coincide with the Jane Austen festival in Bath, a 10-day event celebrating the author, notably significant this year, the 250th anniversary of her birth.

austen resided in Bath from 1801 to 1806, with one of her former residences located near the Holburne. However, another exhibition in the city suggests Austen may not have been particularly fond of Bath.

Hannah N Mills, curator of the Holburne exhibition, emphasizes the role of illustrations in solidifying Austen’s status as a beloved British author.

She stated: “In our modern age it is the film and TV adaptations that influence our impressions of the characters.For Austen’s fans in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was the illustrations on the page. We wanted to look at how the illustrations married with the words.”

Mills expressed particular admiration for a 19th-century pen-and-ink drawing by Thomson depicting a scene from “Mansfield Park” with Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram. “It’s just so stunning and there’s such sentiment there.”

Thomson, an Irish artist, gained recognition in the 1880s for his illustrations in Elizabeth Gaskell’s “Cranford” and became a leading book illustrator during the Victorian era.

Mills also appreciates Hassall’s woodcuts for the Folio Society editions. “They are iconic and constantly being reproduced.Early on, there were a lot of male illustrators but as you move towards the 21st century it’s more female illustrators.”

Mills included costume sketches from the Jerome play to highlight the evolution of darcy’s character, leading to his modern portrayal “portrayed as a heart-throb”.

The exhibition also features Coralie Bickford-Smith’s sketchbook, used to design Penguin’s “clothbound classic” edition of “Sense and Sensibility”. “I love what Penguin are doing with Coralie Bickford-Smith, taking motifs from the books and making beautiful covers out of them. They are for the modern age but still harking back to the history.”

The exhibition “Illustrating Austen” offers a fresh perspective on how we visualize and connect with Jane Austen’s timeless stories.