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

Wombats love Jane Morris

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 Happy #WombatFriday!  Our art-loving wombat admires a photograph of Jane Morris. You know wombats are drawn to Jane Morris’ unconventional beauty.  Last weekend, … Read more

A Wombat follows the Lover’s Path

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 author Kris Waldherr shared a guest post about the Pre-Raphaelites and Venice, a subject dear to her heart and a source … 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

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

The Mystery of Fanny Cornforth

Once again, it’s #WombatFriday!  This week, I am sharing a story with you because for Pre-Raphaelite enthusiasts, this is a profound discovery. Fanny Cornforth was a frequent model for for Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  Historically, biographers have written more about his models Elizabeth Siddal and Jane Morris, leaving Fanny to the sidelines. Her past as a prostitute … Read more

#WombatFriday Links: March 13th

Happy Wombat Friday!  Why Wombat Friday?   If the concept of Wombat Friday is new to you, Kirsty Stonell Walker’s post will fill you in. Mythic March continues and I have just shared a post about the beautiful sorceress Circe.  And since Circe could be considered monstrous, here’s my previous post on Monstrous Women.  Stephanie Stewart-Howard has … 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

The Palace of Art

Huzzah! Once again it is #WombatFriday. Kirsty Stonell Walker has just written a fabulous post: The Illustrated Tennyson: A Brief History.  So, in honor of Kirsty, today’s Wombat Friday has a Tennyson theme. Pictured above, our hero the wombat can be seen with my own illustrated copy of Tennyson and one of my favorite images: … Read more

#WombatFriday: Mad Tea-Party edition

“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. “I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can’t take more.” “You mean you can’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.” This week, I blogged about Lewis Carroll and the Pre-Raphaelites and Alice … Read more

#WombatFriday: Lizzie Siddal, Valentine’s, Friday the 13th

Happy  Wombat Friday!  You can follow Pre-Rapahelite Sisterhood on Facebook and Twitter. This week our hero the wombat appears with two book recommendations: The Legend of Elizabeth Siddal by Jan Marsh (nonfiction) A Curl of Copper and Pearl by Kirsty Stonell Walker (fiction) Wednesday marked the anniversary of Elizabeth Siddal’s death.  In Dim Phantoms I talk … Read more

#WombatFriday links

Happy Wombat Friday! This week marked the 101st death of Jane Morris. Kirsty Stonell Walker has a gorgeous post on John Collier. Via Cumbria Live:  Teenagers bring the poetry of Christina Rossetti to life. The poetry of Christina Rossetti has been reimagined for the stage in The Blood Between Us which will play in the … Read more

#WombatFriday News, Links

Happy #WombatFriday! You can follow Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood on Facebook or Twitter. Posts at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood this week included Veronica Veronese and Aspecta Medusa, both by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Kirsty Stonell Walker reviewed the catalogue for Art & Soul: Victorians and the Gothic.  And took a look at Selfies and self portraits. The William Morris Gallery is … Read more

A Friday the 13th #WombatFriday

This week, Wombat Friday falls on Friday the 13th AND a full moon.  Our wombat hero visits Luna by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. You can follow the weekly #wombatfriday madness on Twitter (here’s the #wombatfriday hashtag link; you can follow me on Twitter as @beguilingmerlin). If you are a Facebook user, connect with me on the … Read more