A photograph of a dog, hidden among archives for decades at the Bront Parsonage Museum in Haworth, is believed to be Anne Bronte's pet spaniel, Flossie.

It is likely to have been taken in the late 1840s, before Anne's death in 1849, and in the very early days of photography.

Museum manager Alan Bentley said: "We believe it is Flossie because we have two paintings of the dog -- one by Ann and the other by her sister Charlotte -- which look just like the dog in the photograph."

The photograph is expected to go on display at the museum along with other artefacts belonging to the Bront pets.