Beyond Ophelia: The True Legacy of Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti (née Siddall)

John Everett Millais painted the background for his famous painting Ophelia (1851-2, Tate Gallery) on the banks of the Hogsmill River in Ewell. He added the figure of Ophelia, modelled by Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti (better known as Lizzie Siddal), in his London Studio.  

While the painting may have been instrumental in launching Elizabeth’s career, it also trapped her within its golden frame, linking her forever with the pathetic figure of Shakespeare’s heroine.

In this talk, Glenda Youde will show how the story of Ophelia’s model was constructed to fill a need for information.  The few basic facts known about her have been repeated and embroidered with each retelling, confusing fact with fiction.

In truth, Elizabeth was different – a young, independent and ambitious female artist whose work was critical to the visual development of Pre-Raphaelite art. Demonstrating how Elizabeth’s original ideas and figure poses were ‘borrowed’ by the male members of the Pre-Raphaelite circle, hiding the true extent of her artistic legacy in the more famous works of others.

About Dr Glenda Youde

Glenda received her doctorate from the University of York in 2022 and the research for her thesis forms the foundation for her talk and book, ‘Beyond Ophelia: The True Legacy of Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti (née Siddall).

In association with Jan Marsh’s Pre-Raphaelite Sisters exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (2019-20), Glenda and her colleague Robert Wilkes co-organised the successful conference Pre- Raphaelite Sisters: Making Art held at the University of York in December 2019.  They subsequently co-edited a collection of essays on the same theme, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters: Art, Poetry and Female Agency in Victorian Britain (Peter Lang, 2022).

Glenda assisted Tate curator Carol Jacobi with the selection of works for The Rossettis exhibition at the Tate Gallery in 2023.  Her research was showcased in the ‘Medieval Moderns’ room which received excellent reviews and her essay ‘Dante Gabriel and Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti: The Artistic Partnership’ is included in the accompanying catalogue. She has spoken at many conferences and study days at locations including Tate Gallery, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and Kingston Museum, Surrey.

Dr Youde will be signing books following the talk, these will be available to purchase at the event.

Suitable for Adults (18+). Booking essential. Limited places.

Accessibility at Derby Museums 

Images (C) Dr Gelnda Youde)