Elizabeth Siddal (July 25, 1829 – February 11, 1862)
Float through my tired brain;
The unformed visions of my life
Pass by in ghostly train; — taken from Elizabeth Siddal’s poem A Year and A Day
There is no hope of my knowing what ‘unformed visions’ of Lizzie’s life could have possibly passed by in ‘ghostly train’ before her. Some aspects of her life we will never fully know. While I may not ever be able to fill in the gaps, I’ve not yet reached a point where I have lost interest in pursuing Elizabeth Siddal and chronicling information about her here at LizzieSiddal.com. This site is my journey. It is a journey that I started alone, but over the past seven years of this online project, I have discovered fellow travelers. So while I dedicate my time to these pages, please don’t make the assumption that this is solely my site. It is here for all of us who have been captivated by Elizabeth Siddal, for those of us compelled to search, to read, to follow paths that will somehow help us to understand. We are what I like to call ‘Elizabeth Siddal enthusiasts’. You’re probably one too.
But in case you’re not:
Elizabeth Who? Elizabeth Siddal was an artist’s model who posed for members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Her features helped to create a Pre-Raphaelite ideal. (I say a Pre-Raphaelite ideal because Jane Morris’s features are also a Pre-Raphaelite ideal). She is widely recognized from the Ophelia painting by Sir John Everett Millais and the story of her posing as Ophelia is as famous as the painting itself. Eventually she would pose only for Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who encouraged her pursuit of art. He became her mentor and art tutor, he drew her obsessively, and he loved her. Yet he put off marriage. Lizzie developed a reputation for being ill and at some point she became addicted to Laudanum. After a ten year relationship, Lizzie and Gabriel married. They suffered a stillborn daughter and in 1862 Lizzie died from a Laudanum overdose. Seven years after her death, Gabriel has her body exhumed so that he could recover the poems he had enclosed in her coffin.
I am thrilled and honored that LizzieSiddal.com received a brief mention in the preface to the second edition of Jan Marsh’s The Legend of Elizabeth Siddal.Buy from Barnes & Noble, Buy from Amazon
Of interest: the most popular page on this site continues to be Photographs of Elizabeth Siddal’s Grave
Listen to or Download The Sexton’s Tales episode, The Exhumation of Ophelia. Brilliant dramatization. MP3 format. This download is free.
10 Responses to “Elizabeth Siddal (July 25, 1829 – February 11, 1862)”
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Timeline
Paintings and Drawings by Elizabeth Siddal
"A drawer full of Guggums"
Inquest
Photographs of Elizabeth Siddal's grave
Handwriting analysis of Elizabeth Siddal and Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Interview with Siddal biographer Lucinda Hawksley
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Thank you for creating this website..may her memory live on.
Hello
There was a very nice oil painting of Lizzie which came up for sale at christies in London many years ago which I would have liked to have purchased.
I never had the money but reconized how important it was so told the Tate that they would be wise to try and buy it.
I am sorry to say they decined and it went for about £14,000 if I remember right.
A few months later I was chatting to a person whos husband was the director of the Wilmington art Gallery in the U.S.A about this painting, she said yes I know of this painting of Lizze we purchased it and were very happy to aquire it.
I recently came across a newspaper clipping from 2005 about
a painting discovered in Red House of William and Jane Morris.
Does anyone know where there is an image of it? Thanks!!
I read with interest Lisa Ellen’s note about a painting of William & Janey discovered in Red House. I’ve visited Red House several times over the past few years and very recently become a volunteer. There are images to be found of them around the house but I have the sense that the painting that is being referred to is the one that was discovered hidden in a wardrobe. This was reputedly painted by Elizabeth Siddal and is unfortunately in need of restoration so I doubt whether there is a satisfactory image available.
I seem to remember being told that on one of her visits to Red House she wrote a letter to Rossetti asking for his advice on a painting she was working on at the house. I am there this Sunday and I will of course make enquiries for Ms Ellen and post a comment next week.
Regards
Thank you! A friend of mine posted an article about the wardrobe on my facebook page about a year ago. It spurred an interesting conversation in our facebook comments and I just spent roughly an hour trying to find it, but wading through old FB posts is not as easy as I thought it would be.
Lisa Ellen, I apologize that I didn’t answer your comment in a timely fashion! My schedule over the summer has been complete chaos, but things are finally returning to normal!
Stephanie
Lisa Ellen and Steve,
I think the wardrobe in question is in this video of Jan Marsh at the Red House. The wardrobe is shown around the 2:07 mark. And it’s fabulous!
http://www.antiques.tv/video/historic-houses-red-house-%28part2%29,28
Lisa Ellen & Stephanie
No joy I’m afraid, unfortunately I was unable to establish such a picture at Red house. I mentioned the subject to the house manager and two to the tour guides, but none were able to confirm a discovery of a painting as was suggested in the newspaper clipping.
If you are interested in Red House (Burne-Jones described it as the ‘most beautifullest place on earth’ – I’m not sure about the grammar?) there are some nice photos that have been recently posted on the National Trust photo library web site: http://www.ntpl.org.uk
I didn’t see an image of the wardrobe picture on the site but if you would like me to take a photo next time I’m at Red house, please let me know.
Warmest Regards
Steve
Hi
for years in my family theres been talk of a connection with lizzie
my mothers maiden name was Siddall they are from Earl Masrshall rd in sheffield the girls in the family all look a litle like lizzie
is there any connection
Hi,
I am new to these pages and to the life of Siddal. If I was to buy one book on Siddal (to start with!) which biography would people suggest as the best?
Thanks,
Erin
A good book to start with would be Lucinda Hawksley’s biography of Elizabeth Siddal. It’s excellent.
After that, Jan Marsh’s The Legend of Elizabeth Siddal is a good book to have. It’s not a straightforward biography about Lizzie, but a look at how Elizabeth Siddal has been written about by different generations of art historians and authors.
Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood (also by Jan Marsh) is also a wonderful book to have and it is my favorite Pre-Raphaelite biography. It’s not just about Elizabeth Siddal, but all the women involved with the Pre-Raphaelite circle.