Pre-Raphaelite Sisters


Fabulous exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looking at the lives and art of the women of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

I was worried that this would just be a lot of portraits of hair and pouting lips but instead it looked at each of the women’s lives in their own right not just as a wife, lover or sister of one of the men. The pictures selected tended to represent a specific moment in their lives not just be a famous picture you know well. There was also lots of examples of their own work and their stories were told well in good commentaries.

I loved the room bringing together the three great models, Lizzie Siddall, Fanny Cornford and Annie Miller. I found the show very moving and welled up at seeing a lock of Lizzie Siddall’s hair which was the deep auburn you hoped it was. This was closely followed by another teary moment finding out the Fanny Cornford died in a poor law infirmary and seeing her admission entry and photograph as an old lady.

The main big room looked at the women who were artists. I’d not come across Joanna Boyce Wells before who sadly died post child birth. The display included a bodice she had made which had different embellishments on each side so she could use in in multiple paintings and indeed there was a self-portrait of her in it.

The Jane Morris section included the first portrait Rossetti did of her and a selection of photographs of her including some of her in her 60s. There was also a portrait of her by Evelyn de Morgan who was also featured in a section of her own including the lovely portrait of her husband Willian with one of his vases.

I came away with so many stories to look up and people to investigate.

Closes 26 January 2019

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