The Timeless Scourge of the Overdose

Well over a century-and-a-half has passed since her death, yet Elizabeth Siddal still commands attention through her art, poetry, and the Pre-Raphaelite works she appears in. As artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s muse, Lizzie was a powerful influence on his early Pre-Raphaelite works. She then boldly made the move from model to artist and embarked on a career … Read more

What’s up with the wombats?

“Rossetti was the planet around which we revolved, we copied his way of speaking. All beautiful women were “stunners” with us. Wombats were the most beautiful of God’s creatures.”–artist Valentine Cameron Prinsep Wombat Friday began in 2013 when, in a moment of frivolity, I posted several pictures of wombats with cake and books in a … Read more

#WombatFriday Links

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti This week I’d like to share the song The Wood Maiden from Laurie Ann Haus.  I find it captivating, haunting, ethereal.  The beautiful … Read more

Thanks for #PRBday!

After a weekend of worldwide tragedy, to spend a day where Pre-Raphaelite art filled my Twitter feed was a welcome diversion.  It was great fun and I’d like to extend a hearty thanks to the Pre-Raphaelite Society, Serena Trowbridge, and Madeleine Pearce for orchestrating #PRBday. I took a few screenshots to share how beautiful Twitter … Read more

#PRBday is coming!

The Pre-Raphaelite Society will be hosting #PRBday on Twitter this Sunday, November 15th. It’s a fun way to discuss the Pre-Raphaelites and I look forward to reading your tweets and talking with you, so don’t be shy!  Participants should include the hashtag #PRBday to join in on the discussion. If you don’t already, I suggest … Read more

#WombatFriday Links (with pumpkins!)

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti This was a Botticelli themed week for me as I wrote about Sir Edward Burne-Jones’ painting Sponsa de Libano and Evelyn De Morgan’s … Read more

#WombatFriday with the PRS Review

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti This week, our hero the wombat appears with the latest edition of The Review, the principal publication of The Pre-Raphaelite Society (edited by … Read more

To wombat, or not to wombat

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti This week in the Pre-Raphaelite blogosphere: Kirsty Stonell Walker wrote an excellent post on Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s reputation in the 20th century.   … Read more

In her wombat she still delights

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti Since my last post was all about The Lady of Shalott, the enthusiasm for this popular Pre-Raphaelite subject has spilled over into Wombat … Read more

To strive, to seek, to find

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti The birthday of Alfred,Lord Tennyson was this week, which brings to mind one of my favorite passages from his poem Ulysses: Tho’ much … Read more

It’s #WombatFriday!

Wombats, books, and pie. Life is complete. Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti If you missed yesterday’s post: Evelyn De Morgan’s Daughters of the Mist.    My lovely friend … Read more

A Lizzie Siddal Wombat Friday

Tomorrow marks the birth of Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal on the 25th of July, 1829.  Lizzie was an artists’ model in the early days of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, appearing in paintings by artists such as Walter Deverell, William Holman Hunt, and Sir John Everett Millais.  She became Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s muse and eventually posed only for … Read more

In this week’s #WombatFriday news:

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti Frederic, Lord Leighton’s study for Flaming June  sold to an American collector for £167,000 against an estimate of £40,000-60,000.  Full article here.  Verity Holloway … Read more

#WombatFriday Links

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti Behold! The Ransom Center has digitized its Dante Gabriel Rossetti collection. Yesterday, I shared with you about the significance of the number three. One … Read more

Curiouser and curiouser

Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti Tomorrow is Alice’s Day! On the fourth of  July in  1862, Charles Lutwidge Dodson began the tale that would eventually become Alice’s Adventures in … Read more

#WombatFriday: A Delight, a Madness!

Happy #WombatFriday! “The wombat is a joy, a triumph, a delight, a madness!”–Dante Gabriel Rossetti This week’s Pre-Raphaelite fun: This week, Terri Windling shared a lovely compilation of Pre-Raphaelite art juxtaposed with American Bluegrass/Celtic music. Guaranteed to add beauty to your day. Monday marked the birthday of artist Sir John Everett Millais, so I shared … Read more

#WombatFriday June 5, 2015

It’s #WombatFriday! Time to celebrate those furry little scamps that were adored by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and friends. Georgiana Burne-Jones writes about Rossetti’s interest in wombats in Memorials of Burne-Jones, vol. I: “Mr. Prinsep says that the windows in the spaces they were painting were whitened in order to tone the light, and that the … Read more

Wombats Galore

Once again #WombatFriday is upon us! The first and most important link I’ll share is a delightful talk given by Kirsty Stonell Walker on Pre-Raphaelite Stunners. Presented at Mrs. Middleton’s Shop in Mrs Middleton’s Shop in Freshwater, Isle of Wight , this al fresco talk is  an entertaining overview of women involved with the Pre-Raphaelites … Read more

Alas, poor Wombat…

This week marks the birth of William Shakespeare, so in celebration I shared several Pre-Raphaelite and Shakespeare related links on the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood Facebook page and Twitter.  “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, … Read more

#WombatFriday, April 17th

“Do you know the wombat at the Zoo?” asked Rossetti; “a delightful creature — the most comical little beast.” (Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, Vol. I) Happy #WombatFriday!  This week’s interesting links: From The Kissed Mouth: Photographing Alice (and Ina and Edith) (Yes, that Alice) Becoming Julia, learning wet collodion process photography Via Grumpy Art Historian: Campaigning for … Read more

A Delight, A Madness!

“The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!”  ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti Once again, regular readers will know that Friday means #WombatFriday!  A day of celebrating the Pre-Raphaelites with silliness and a spirit of fun. Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti had a lifelong love for wombats and his enthusiasm for them spread among … Read more

Mythic #WombatFriday

This week marks the beginning of Mythic March, so my posts have been celebrations of mythology and legend:  Legendary Armor and The persistence of Myth.  If you are interested in incorporating the beauty of myth, fantasy, and fairy tale into your own home, visit my friend Grace’s blog Domythic Bliss. Kirsty Stonell Walker has shared paintings … Read more