Isabel Snowden, 18, models period costume at the Jane Austen House Museum, Chawton, near Alton, Hampshire, UK
Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose realism, biting social commentary and masterful use of free indirect speech, burlesque and irony have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and best-loved writers in British literature.
Around early 1809, Austen's brother Edward offered his mother and sisters a more settled life—the use of a large "cottage" in Chawton village that was part of Edward's nearby estate, Chawton House. The house is now a museum devoted to Austen and her work