Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s narrative poem The Lady of Shalott was a subject that Pre-Raphaelite artists depicted repeatedly.
Forbidden from interacting with the world, the lady lives a life of solitude, spending her time weaving elaborate tapestries as events of the world are reflected to her through a mirror.
Both Tennyson’s poem and the plethora of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite paintings that depict it are endlessly fascinating rabbit holes.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
In her web she still delights
Full text of The Lady of Shalott