"I am no bird, and no net ensnares me." - Charlotte Brontë
Despite being the daughters of a vicar and growing up in a parsonage, Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë were a wild bunch. At an early age, they demonstrated their creativity by inventing a fantastical land called Gondal. Knowing their father would disapprove of the romantic stories they concocted, they transcribed them in handwriting so small, no adult could hope to read it.
To capture this sense of sisterhood, we drew inspiration from the Three Graces (Charites) of Greek mythology. Portrayed many times by painters and sculptors alike, they have come to represent many things, ranging from the feminine (charm, beauty, creativity) to the moral (faith, hope, love) to the agonistic (Hera, Aphrodite and Athena), to the creative (experience, inspiration, craft) to the unbreakable bond of kinship (Foedus Inviolabile).
The desolate and beautiful landscape surrounding their Yorkshire town of Haworth served as the setting for their most famous stories, and was the inspiration for our illustration.
Like their characters, the landscape was untamed and as romantic as it was unforgiving. The fierce independence expressed in the quote is paired with the solidarity of the three graces. Instead of birds in a tree, delicate and fearful, the sisters form the unshakeable base of the tree itself. The central figure's dress becomes the trunk, utilizing the same pattern as the branches. The side figures' floral dresses mirror the foliage in the tree.
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Any 3 prints for $48 (regularly $72)
Code: 3PRINTS
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Obvious State is a creative studio and publisher founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011.
We make bold, illustrated editions and art drawn from the classics.
Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.
Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.
Every piece is illustrated by Evan Robertson — a single artistic vision applied to some of the greatest works ever written.
Provocative visuals paired with punctuated language, full of surprising visual metaphors, subtext, and insider nudges.
Our pocket editions are portable art objects made to collect, share, and inspire moments of quiet reflection in an overstimulated digital world.
We’re drawn to language that has stood the test of time, insights that strike a chord, poetry that stretches the imagination, and philosophy that prompts critical thinking.
