Integrated WritingJane Austen 1775 1817 is one of the most famous of all English novelists and today her novels are more popular than ever with several recently adapted as Hollywood movies But we do not have many records of what she looked like For

One of the most repute novelists is Jane Austen who her novels are adapted as Hollywood movies. There is no record of what she looked like; but recently, a full-length portrait of a teenage girl owned by a member of the Jane Austen family is considered that Jane is the subject. The reading passage presents some reasons to approve this idea, however, the professor in the lecture opposes with those reasons.

First, in 1882, 65 years after Austen's death, her family has endorsed the claim that Austen is the subject of the portrait. The professor implies that this claim is not reliable. Because those persons who recognize the girl in the portrait as the Austen, had never seen her themselves.

Second, the girl in the portrait resembles the one in Austen's sister's sketch, which we know depicts Austen. Even though the sketch is of an adult Austen, the features are resembling to those of the girl in the painting. The professor rejects this assumption and says that her family was very large with several teenagers in relevant period. The true subject of the portrait is one of those relatives.

Third, the style of painting belongs to Ozias Humphrey who was active in the late 1780s and early 1790s, when Austen was a teenager. The professor mentions to an important point. He says that the stamp on the back of the picture shows that the canvas was sold by William Legg who did not sell the canvases in London when Austen was a teenager. The canvas was used for the painting when Austen was clearly older than the girl in the portrait.