The Brontë Parsonage Museum. Courtesy Brontë Parsonage Museum.

A new exhibition entitled Who Were the Brontës? opens at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, West Yorkshire on April 27 2007. The exhibition, which runs for two years, invites us to unravel the myths woven around the lives of the Brontë family.

The Brontës remain one of the world's most famous literary families and Howarth Parsonage, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum, was their home from 1820 to 1861.

The exhibition aims to challenge our perceptions of the Brontës, a family where fact and fiction are irrevocably entwined. This could be due to the fact that the lives of the Brontës have inspired hundreds of novels, films and plays, so it is hard to escape the enduring image of three sisters who lived in poverty and died young.

Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë were the authors of some of the best loved books in the English language. Charlotte's novel Jane Eyre (1847), Emily's Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) were written in their West Yorkshire home over 150 years ago.

Courtesy Brontë Parsonage Museum.

Above Emily Brontë's burnt comb, said to have been used just before she died of consumption on December 19 1848.

The exhibition includes a fascinating collection of objects, drawings, letters and even hair samples!

One drawing on show, of Thorp Green Hall near York (dated 1844), is by Branwell Brontë, the only male sibling of the six-strong Brontë brood. Despite his gaining a bad reputation, Branwell's drawings and poetry were much admired in his day.

Another fascinating exhibit is the burnt comb of Emily Brontë. It is claimed that this comb was used by Emily just before she died. Apparently she insisted on combing her hair herself, but because she was so ill, the comb fell into the fire.

There is also a sample of Brontë hair that has been analysed by an archeological scientist from Bradford University. He discovered that the Brontë's had a healthy diet - possibly challenging the romantic image of starving artists we often assume is true.

Crossed letter written by Anne Brontë to friend Helen Nussey. Courtesy Brontë Parsonage Museum

One of the most intriguing exhibits is a crossed letter written by Anne Brontë to her friend Helen Nussey. Crossed letters were used to save on postage costs and paper, with the recipient of the letter writing their reply across the original letter at 90 degrees.

Most of the legends regarding the Brontës were generated by Elizabeth Gaskell, and her first manuscript of The Life of Charlotte Brontë, is on display in the museum until June 2007. The book has often been perceived as dramatising the tragic aspects of Charlotte's life, however today it is thought by many that Elizabeth Gaskell genuinely wrote the biography as a tribute to her friend.

Branwell Brontë, has been particularly misrepresented in the past, often being described as a drunkard - even a drug addict - who drank away the family money, forcing the girls to work. However, at one point, Branwell was a successful poet whose work was published many years before his sisters.

Sample of Mrs. Maria Brontë's hair (dated 1824). Maria developed cancer and after a harrowing illness, she died on September 15 1821. Courtesy Brontë Parsonage Museum.

Patrick Brontë, Charlotte's father, was portrayed as distant and cruel. However it is often overlooked that he also was a published author of poetry and fiction and that his children grew up accustomed to the sight of books with the Brontë name on the spine.

Because of the important role education played in his own life, Patrick encouraged his children in their pursuit of knowledge. Any books that came their way were eagerly devoured.

Who Were the Brontës? reveals the real story of the Brontës is as fascinating as their fiction.