Elizabeth Siddal

Elizabeth Siddal, Pre-Raphaelite model and wife to Gabriel Rossetti, is the source of intrigue for many Victorian researchers. Her mystery began from her vague background as a milliner 's assistant. From the start, many stories were told of her discovery and yet few stories were told of her past before that point. A frail young woman, she was addicted to narcotics and suffered from a variety of ailments, from the physical to the mental. Her turbulent relationship with Rossetti was plagued with ups and downs, and yet after her death, he mourned her with great sorrow and guilt. Elizabeth Siddal was a young girl from the working class, who was thrust into the world of the Pre-Raphaelites when discovered as a model in 1849. She was not terribly smart or educated, however, considering her class, she was thought to be as refined and modest as possible. She is generally referred as having been a reserved girl, but she was also explained as being both very beautiful and horribly plain by different sets of people. It is known for a fact that Elizabeth was working as a milliner 's assistant upon her discovery, but there are many stories told about how that discovery was made. Walter Deverell, who was at the Royal Academy with Hunt and Rossetti, was looking for a red-haired girl who could pass as a boy to play a Shakespearian role in a painting. Rossetti explains the story as Walter and his mother stopped by a millinery shop and saw the assistant in a back room. He then asked his mother to request permission to use her in a painting. Other accounts were given of the discovery. William Holman Hunt claimed that Deverell had arrived at the studio proclaiming what he found to Rossetti, who accompanied him to the millinery shop to have a look. Irish poet, William Allingham, took credit for introducing Deverell to Ms. Siddal because during his escapades with working class women, he had spotted the young girl and thought her perfect for the role. Because modeling

Bibliography: Barnes, Rachel. The Pre-Raphaelites and their World. London: Tate Gallery, 1998. Cherry, Deborah. Painting Women: Victorian Women Artists. London: Routledge, 1993. Knapp, Rebecca. "A Sisterhood in Beauty." Art and Antiques 18 (February 1995): 52-57. Marsh, Jan. The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. London: Quartet Books, LTD, March, 1995. Postle, Martin and William Vaughan. The Artist 's Model: From Etty to Spencer. London: Merrell Holberton, 1999. Shafer, Elaine. "Elizabeth Siddal: Lady of Shalott." Women 's Art Journal(Spring/Summer 1988): 21-29. Article covering The Lady of Shalott, with background details of the woman Taylor, Beverly. "Elizabeth Siddal as Muse and Creator." Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies - New Series 4 (Spring, 1995): 29- 50. An informative article that seems to spend a lot of time criticizing other authors who discuss Siddel Williams, Isabelle. "Elizabeth Siddal: The Health Issue." Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies - New Series 5 (Spring, 1996): 53- 70.