Exploring Eliot's Friendships

This doll’s cloak from around 1825 to 1835 is reported to have been made by Mary Ann Evans and her school companions when she attended Franklin’s school in Coventry, between the ages of 13 and 16.

Mary Ann’s schooldays were not always a happy time and she experienced bullying and name calling from other children.

Like most young women, Mary Ann acquired domestic skills, including embroidery, which was useful when she became responsible for running the household after the death of her mother.

This watercolour was probably painted by either Cara
Bray or her sister Sara Sophia Hennell. The circle of people who gathered at Rosehill
was a huge influence in Mary Ann’s life. She spent much of her time there and
created strong bonds with the Bray family. The window scene suggests a space
that was familiar, comfortable and intimate.

Mary Ann felt included, loved and supported as well as appreciated for her intelligence and knowledge. Here she shared important conversations and ideas, particularly on religion and social issues. At Rosehill she also developed contacts with the wider world.

This walnut sewing box from around 1820 to 1850, is inlaid with mother of pearl. It belonged to Cara Bray, who used it throughout her lifetime, and contains locks of hair from two of her siblings.

While Mary Ann was living in Coventry, she and Cara became good friends. A quote from Eliot's novel Middlemarch was found in this sewing box.

This pencil drawing of George Eliot in two
perspectives was made by Cara Bray in her sketchbook during their tour of Europe
in 1849. Before the tour, Mary Ann’s father passed away, leaving her a small
legacy.

She had been dependent on her father financially, and this trip enabled her to think about how she could live independently through her writing.

This tray cloth is an embroidered black baize and was probably given to Mary Ann by Elma Stuart who lived in Dinan in Brittany. Mary Ann and Elma corresponded from 1872 until Mary Ann’s death in 1880. They had a devoted friendship, exchanging many letters.

Stuart was a fan of George Eliot’s writing and gave her a number of gifts, including pieces of furniture with decorative carving, which she had made herself.

Robert Evans, Mary Ann’s father, was the manager of the Arbury Hall Estate near Nuneaton. Mary Ann became close friends with Charles and Cara Bray, whose unconventional religious beliefs had a profound influence on her, and in January 1842 she refused to go to church any longer.

This resulted in tensions between her and her father, though their relationship improved after Mary Ann’s her brother Isaac intervened on her behalf. When her father died, Mary Ann wrote ‘what shall I be without my father? It will seem as if a part of my moral nature were gone’. She clearly respected her father and based many of her moral and religious beliefs on the upbringing she had received from him.