The life and art of Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (1829-1862) : a re-examination
Date
1979
Authors
Pazdro, Roberta Jane
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Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to examine the life and art of Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (1829- 1862): painter, poet, and member of the Pre-Raphaelite art circle , major innovators in nineteenth century English art. Both her art and life are discussed as a separate phenomenon, rather than as a mere extension of her husband, Dante Rossetti's, work. For the first time, information about her life, much of it drawn from primary sources, such as the letters, diaries, and memoirs of her contemporaries, will be presented in one concise essay. The motivating forces of her life, such as her undertaking a career in modelling which plunged her into the midst of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, will be re- examined in light of their historical context. Her friendships and contacts with major figures of the era, including Algernon Charles Swinburne, Robert Browning, Barbara Leigh Smith , and John Ruskin, who became her patron, will be discussed in order ~o indicate her importance in this period.
The reasons for this woman, of a low status background, to have obta1.ned the admiration of the Pre-Raphaelites, and especially that of Dante Rossetti, will be analyzed in light of Rossetti's concurrent fascination with the concept of courtly love combined with the complex implications of her ill health. These factors lent her both an aura of genius and sensual appeal in an era when erotic elements could only be expressed in terms of metaphors.
The major themes of Siddal's art will be deciphered and examined, for the first time, in relation to the art of the other Pre-Raphaelites to which they are integrally related. The assumption that her work was nothing but an imitation of Rossetti's bearing no relation to the art created by her colleagues will be corrected. Her accomplishments will not be exaggerated : it will not be argued that a "female Michelangelo" has been discovered, but, instead, she will be treated as objectively as possible, a right she has generally been denied because of her sex. The fact that she was a woman certainly did influence her choice of specific subjects for her art, but it must be subordinated to the more important factors influencing her art, such as her nationality, training, and contemporaries.
This thesis presents factual information about the brief life and limited accomplishments of Elizabeth Siddal and provides an easily accessible and necessary resource for those interested in either the art of the Pre-Raphaelites or women's art history.