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

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

#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

For the love of wombats

Dante Gabriel Rossetti had a lifelong enthusiasm for wombats and #WombatFriday is a fun way to celebrate that. Yes it is silly, but it also encourages participation.  From the beginning, my favorite thing about Wombat Friday is how many people have come along for the ride.  I guess my claim to fame is that on … 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

Lewis Carroll and the Pre-Raphaelites

Alice in Wonderland has a strong hold on our popular culture.  Over a century has passed since it and the sequel Through the Looking Glass were written and Alice’s strange journeys charm us still.  How many times can we reinterpret this book on screen?  It seems to be an endless source of inspiration and the … Read more