Jane Austen Makes An Appearance On The 10-Pound Bank Note

A colorful Jane Austen is making her appearance, 200 years after her death, on the 10-pound note in the United Kingdom. Austen is the first female author to appear on the British 10-pound note, which was unveiled today by the Bank of England. While the note won’t go into circulation until September 14, it was revealed today at Winchester Cathedral on the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen at the age of 41. Two other British writers have appeared on 10-pound notes, Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin.

The Jane Austen 10-pound note features a large image of the author best known for her novel, Pride and Prejudice, and several other drawings of Austen’s writing desk; her brother’s house, Godmersham Park, and the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet.

Also on the 10-pound note, of course, is an iconic, formal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Recently, there has been a resurgence in the interest in Queen Elizabeth and the history of her reign largely fueled by shows like Netflix’s The Crown. In The Crown, viewers are able to see the story of Queen Elizabeth II from the time she marries Prince Philip presumably through the present, with flashbacks of her childhood.

When the Bank of England shared a blown up image of the Jane Austen 10-pound note today, one phrase from Austen stuck out among the drawings, and it’s a line from Pride and Prejudice.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”

The portrait used on the note was commissioned in 1870 by Jane Austen’s nephew James Edward Austen Leigh and based on a drawing by Austen’s sister. But when the Jane Austen bank note was announced back in 2013, the image to be used was criticized by many Austen experts saying that it was “prettied up” and “airbrushed.”

Paula Byrne, who has written three books about Jane Austen, was quite irritated about the image on the note.

“It makes me quite angry, as it’s been prettied up for the Victorian era when Jane Austen was very much a woman of Georgian character. The costume is wrong and the image creates a myth Austen was a demure spinster and not a deep-thinking author.”

Unveiling the Jane Austen 10-pound note at Winchester Cathedral was significant because that location is where Jane Austen is buried. Bank of England governor Mark Carney led the presentation of the note that will most likely become a collector’s item. Jane Austen’s works, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility are still widely read in English classes around the world and have increased popularity after being made into movies.

Mark Carney explained that Jane Austen was chosen because of the way she represents the arts and history of the United Kingdom.

“Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country’s collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom’s glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens.”

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Many Jane Austen fans are scratching their heads about the choice of quote for the 10-pound note (“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”) which on the surface sounds like a validation of a love of reading. But fans of Pride and Prejudice know that the line is delivered by Caroline Bingley, who was not a big reader and only made the statement to try and win over Mr. Darcy. Somewhere, Jane Austen is likely amused.

What do you think of the 10-pound note with Jane Austen’s image? Is the Jane Austen note something you would collect?

[Featured Image by Getty Images News Pool/Getty Images]