Stunning Sisters: Models of the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood
I used to really hate the Victorian era. I found it stuffy and austere compared to the somewhat unhinged 18th century before it. But lately, begrudgingly, I'm falling in love with this period. Underneath its hard exterior, the Victorian era possesses pockets of beauty, passion, and rebellion. Nothing exemplifies this better than the Pre-Raphaelite movement. In this episode, we talked about four women who were central to the movement: Fanny Eaton, Jane Morris, Elizabeth Siddal, and Emma Hill. There are, of course, so many other women whose incredible stories I would love to tell (perhaps in a later episode!) such as Georgiana Burne-Jones, Fanny Cornforth (aka Sara Cox), and Maria Zambaco (née Marie Terpsithea Cassavetti). But for now, I'll share the incredible resources I used to put together this episode. In many of them, you'll no doubt find helpful information for learning about the other Pre-Raphaelite sisters, or about the period in general.
Websites:
Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood a website by Stephanie Chatfield
Princeton University Art Museum
Books:
Lizzie Siddal: The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel by Lucinda Hawksley
The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood by Jan Marsh
Pre-Raphaelite Sisters (National Portrait Gallery exhibition catalogue) by Jan Marsh
Artwork
The best way to experience the Pre-Raphaelites is visually (well, after you've enjoyed them aurally through our podcast). Here you'll find paintings of many of the women we talked about in the podcast, and you can even purchase works to bring the Pre-Raphaelites into your home!