Why Elizabeth Siddal?
Posted on 01 December 2007
Why am I such an admirer of Elizabeth Siddal? What is it about her that captures my interest and imagination? Am I teetering on the brink of obsession as time and time again I am driven to find more information about her? Perhaps it is a mystery even to myself. Admittedly, her art (although full of promise) has an amateurish quality. Yet, it still resonates with me. Perhaps because I feel that there is true desire behind it. A desire to both express herself and to achieve something of her own. To not merely be the subject of art, but the creator as well.
Or perhaps it is because I feel that she has been misjudged by so many. So many that see her only in the shadow of Rossetti. She is widely dismissed as neurotic and addicted. Well, she was. But I see her as more than that. My view of Lizzie is one of sadness. Sadness for so much potential that was limited because of her circumstances and the time in which she lived.
As Ophelia she mesmerizes me. In Beata Beatrix she haunts me. Through her poetry she speaks to me. Although often ignored in her own time, I feel that her voice is still heard. When I think of Lizzie lifted from her final resting place so that Gabriel could retrieve his manuscript I am outraged on her behalf. Yet, without that selfish act, the legend and interest that surrounds her might not even exist on the level that it does today.
Why am I fascinated with Elizabeth Siddal? I cannot possibly answer that with ease. Some people become fans of movie stars or musicians, for me it is Elizabeth Siddal and the Pre-Raphaelite Circle. I regard this website as having no scholarly magnitude. I do not harbor feelings of self importance in creating these simple pages. I realize that I am not contributing anything outstanding as far as research or biographical data are concerned. But I do hope that those who are just beginning to have a glimmer of interest in Elizabeth Siddal will find something of merit here.
One face looks out from all his canvasses,
One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans;
We found her hidden just beyond those screens;
That mirror gave back all her loveliness.
A queen in opal or in ruby dress,
A nameless girl in freshest summer greens,
A saint, an angel; every canvass means
The same one meaning, neither more nor less.
He feeds upon her face by day and night,
And she with true kind eyes looks back on him
Fair as the moon and joyful as the light:
Not wan with waiting, not with sorrow dim;
Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright;
Not as she is, but as she fills his dream.
Christina Rossetti, “In An Artist’s Studio”
5 Responses to “Why Elizabeth Siddal?”
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Stephanie, your comment on how Beata Beatrix haunts you reminded me – I recently read Fiona Mountain’s Pale as the Dead (contemporary mystery based on the Lizzie Siddal story – loved it). If I’m remembering correctly, one of her fictional characters proposed that Rossetti had actually sketched the head for Beata Beatrix while Lizzie lay in her coffin. I doubt that he did, as all accounts are that he avoided her casket and couldn’t even look at her face as he placed the poems there. Still, I found this really interesting. Now when I view B.B., I find myself tilting my head to imagine her lying down. Eerily, it looks about right.
What a coincidence that you should say that! I’ve also read Pale as the Dead and think of it every time I see Beata Beatrix!
I’ve actually been meaning to post something about Pale as the Dead on this site. Perhaps other visitors have read it too. I love a good book discussion!
I found the fact that her great great granddaughter is named Bethany in the book quite interesting – because it happens to be my name! I know it’s only fiction but weirdly enough I worked out the maths and if her stillborn daughter had survived and had children etc, the fictional Bethany would be about my age. Creepy. And I have an obsession with this poor, tragic lady who was badly underestimated.
PS who was Jane Morris? Red something about her being Rossetti’s lover – was this before Elizabeth’s death or after?!
Jane Morris was the wife of William Morris, one of Rosseti’s closest friends.
She is most recognized as the model for Rossetti’s painting, Proserpine. After Lizzie’s death, Rossetti had quite a famous affair with Jane Morris, even though she was married to his friend.
Click here for a brief piece I wrote about Jane Morris at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood.