Manuscripts, portraits and even a pair of cloth boots belonging to English author Charlotte Bronte went on display in London on Monday to celebrate the 200th anniversary of her birth.

The small exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, which runs until August 14, offers glimpses into the life of the novelist who lived between 1816 and 1855 and is best known for "Jane Eyre".

It revolves around a famous portrait by her brother Branwell Bronte with Charlotte, her sisters Emily and Anne, and his own ghostly shadow in the middle.

"We wanted to illustrate her literary career and success but also her home life which perhaps is lesser known to some of our public," Lucy Wood, an assistant curator at the National Portrait Gallery, told AFP.

Through her private correspondence, her drawings and her journals, the exhibition invites visitors into Bronte's tragic personal life, marred by the deaths of her two older sisters and her own poor health.

Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell developed rich imaginations since early childhood, helping each other's spirits with poems, plays and novels.

"We wanted to bring her life to life because we are the museum of biographies, the museum of people and she is one of the most important people in British literature," Wood said.

"We wanted to capture her life and celebrate that. It's a celebration really."