Elizabeth Siddal

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Siddal was an influential female pre-raphaelite painter, poet, and figure model. From an early age, Elizabeth was exposed to the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood by Walter Howell Deverell which inspired her to get involved in the art community in London. She was also fairly well educated, being able to read and write, and coming from a wealthy family she was most likely homeschooled along with her siblings. 

Before she was known for her paintings and extensive poetry she was also a regular figure model for the other members of the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood. Some paintings you may not know she was the model for are “Twelfth Night” by Walter Howell Deverell where she posed as Viola, “Rossovestita” by Dante Rossetti (who she ended up marrying in 1860 after becoming his muse for several of his other paintings.), and famously in 1850 as Ophelia in “Ophelia” by John Millais which happens to be one of my favorite paintings. She posed as the iconic Hamlet character for Millais in a bathtub in his studio for hours to perfect the figure, unfortunately in one of the sessions, the heat lamps warming the bath burnt out and Millais didn’t notice. Since Lizzie was so dedicated to the artist’s vision she didn’t mention the freezing temperature of the water until she was practically numb and inevitably became severely ill, so in conclusion, her enraged father sent Millais a hefty medical bill for his carelessness. Thankfully she recovered but it would’ve been ironic if she died the same way Ophelia did in the play. During her life, Lizzie was the most well-known model for the Pre- Raphaelite movement making thousands of cameos in different paintings and sketches. 

In Siddal’s own work she usually references a lot of medieval figures, Arthurian legends and doesn’t typically depict ideal beauty like many other Pre- Raphaelite paintings. Her art also has a fairly eerie/ dark feel similar to her poetry. Lizzie frequently used mediums such as watercolor, graphite, pastels/ chalk, and occasionally oil paints.  One of her popular paintings that display this is “Clerk Saunders: ca. 1857 done with watercolor and chalk.

Besides painting Lizzie also wrote several beautiful poems from a young age. She also wrote alongside her husband Dante, and also illustrated some of his poetry. He also forbid her from modeling for other Pre- Raphaelite painters during their courtship/ marriage wanting her all to himself and ended up using her for thousands of his works. 

Being a female Siddal faces prejudice in the artistic community even though she was tight with several of the founding members of the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood and was a part of the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood as well as being a part of several gallery shows. 

Tragically Lizzie died at age 33 in London after 2 miscarriages and an illness she’d been wrestling with since 1852. Though her life was short it was still filled with drama and intrigue that I enjoyed delving into in my research for this blog entry even though I’ve barely scratched the surface of this complex woman. “Beata Beatrix” is the last painting done of Lizzie. It was completed by Rossetti in 1863 a year after her death as he was grieving and depicts a praying Dante Alighieri’s Beatrice. 

Sources:

“The Faces of Elizabeth Siddal.” Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood, 5 Sept. 2018, preraphaelitesisterhood.com/faces-elizabeth-siddal/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.

National Trust. “Lovers Listening to Music 1287930.” National Trust Collections, www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1287930. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.

“Paintings and Drawings by Elizabeth Siddal.” LizzieSiddal.com, 3 Nov. 2018, lizziesiddal.com/portal/lizzies-art/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.

“Poems Written by Elizabeth Siddal.” LizzieSiddal.com, 26 Oct. 2008, lizziesiddal.com/portal/poems-written-by-elizabeth-siddal/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.

“Who Was Elizabeth Siddal?” Women’n Art, 18 Nov. 2020, womennart.com/2020/11/18/who-was-elizabeth-siddal/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.