What was the pseudonym used by Anne Brontë?

Anne Brontë used the pseudonym Acton Bell. She published her novels and poetry under this name, including Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

The Brontë sisters adopted masculine-sounding pen names in the 1840s because they feared women writers were judged unfairly. Their 1846 poetry collection was published as Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. The initials loosely matched their first names: Charlotte became Currer, Emily became Ellis, and Anne became Acton.

The arrangement can cause confusion because all three surnames were Bell. Charlotte Brontë wrote as Currer Bell, while Emily Brontë wrote as Ellis Bell. Ellis Bell was therefore not Anne's pseudonym; it was Emily's. Anne's identity was eventually revealed alongside those of her sisters, although the family initially guarded their authorship.

Anne's writing is now especially noted for its realism and moral seriousness. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, published in 1848 as Acton Bell, challenged Victorian assumptions about marriage, alcoholism, and women's independence.