Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall (1829-1862)

This essay considers Elizabeth Siddall (1829-1862) as an artist, focusing on the striking, deep-toned watercolours and line drawings that she produced in the mid-1850s. It is argued that her archaising art, with their subjects drawn from British ballads and with their blocks of vivid, strong colour are at the forefront of Pre-Raphaelite medievalizing. .
Her works also address the position of women in contemporary society. Some take their inspiration from contemporary poetry, and others from religious subjects. The essay investigates the development of themes and motifs through drawings and watercolours, her contributions to Pre-Raphaelite exhibitions, and her patrons. Her self portrait is compared to the numerous images of her to address her interventions into the new visual cultures of modernity and their representations of women.
In a word...
This essay investigates three key terms predominant in the literature and institutions of British nineteenth century art : Pre-Raphaelite, Pre-Raphaelites and Pre-Raphaelitism.