Jane Austen lived most of her life in Hampshire and died in Winchester in 1817.

She's one of the greatest writers in the English language, with admirers all over the world. But nobody really knows what she looked like.

All we have is a tiny pencil and watercolour sketch by her sister, Cassandra and two silhouettes, one of which may be a self-portrait - and, unhelpfully, a back view, also by Cassandra.

Now, 186 years on, a forensic artist has come up with a portrait, after studying the wealth of written eyewitness accounts, mainly from relatives, that survive. And the new portrait was unveiled on Monday to coincide with the author's birth date.

Artist, Melissa Dring, was well qualified: she trained at the Royal Academy Schools in London as a portrait painter and as a police forensic artist by the FBI in Washington.

She has a degree in the psychology of facial identification, works freelance for police forces in the UK and has also worked as a courtroom artist for TV news programmes.

Melissa was commissioned by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath to produce a new portrait of the author as she might have appeared during her time in Bath, from 1801-1806, when she was in her mid-30s.

The portrait was unveiled this week at the centre, where it will be given pride of place.

"Those who have seen it so far are struck by the eyes," says centre manager, David Baldock. "Unlike all the other images of Jane, this one has a real light and intelligence."