The Tasty Treat that is Jane Austen!

Our last English country dance meeting of the year was this past Friday, which also just so happened to be Jane Austen's 236th birthday.  One of our fellow dancers, the prodigiously clever and oh-so-talented Mistress S, who is a devoted enthusiast of everything Austen, brought a special treat to share during our break:

They're chocolate Austen cookies!  We were so impressed!  Mistress S designed and made the cookie cutter herself.  It is taken directly from the famous "L'aimable Jane" silhouette, which appeared in an early copy of Mansfield Park.  The artist of the silhouette cutting is unknown, and it cannot be conclusively proven that it is a depiction of Austen herself, but logic suggests that it probably is.  Isn't it incredible how close the cookies replicate the actual silhouette?  Needless to say, after munching down Austen heads, we all felt immensely more witty for the remainder of the evening.  :-)  Thank you, S, for sharing your splendid treats with us all!

The "L'aimable Jane" silhouette, believed to be of Jane Austen.

Image linked from the National Portrait Gallery.