London - Her face may not be as familiar as her books, but that could soon change.
This waxwork shows what Jane Austen may have looked like – according to a former FBI forensic artist who helped make it.
The Pride and Prejudice author never sat for an official portrait – she was only sketched once, by her sister Cassandra in 1810 – so the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, asked painter and researcher Melissa Dring to create the first realistic likeness.
She spent 18 months trawling diaries, letters and other documents for information, before royal sculptor Mark Richards used her findings to build the 5ft 6in waxwork.
Miss Dring, who trained in composite art with the FBI, said Cassandra’s drawing “doesn’t reflect the fun, witty, amusing person that all written accounts seem to portray…I tried to reflect someone who would sit there plotting her next book”. - Daily Mail