26 - In Ophelia's Shadow: The Tragedy of Elizabeth Siddall

Footnotes of History

Back in 1848, a gang of rather pretentious young men with a sentimental disaffection for daily life started their own cultural revolution.

They were artists, poets and intellectuals of independent means, intent on shaping a new, idealised world of their own through their own creations.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood were to some extent an early version of the 1960s cultural revolution.

Their artistic achievements have left a stunning legacy. Many would agree that works like Ophelia and the Lady of Shallot truly embody the modern perception of what art is supposed to be.

But there is a darker side to this glorious success story.

In many of their works is depicted a woman – a red-headed, pale and often fragile depiction of femininity that repeats across innumerable works by the Pre-Raphaelites.

In this episode you’ll discover:

- The powerful tragedy behind the world’s most famous red-haired muse

- The soaring artistic heights and the depraved troughs of the Pre-Raphaelites’ counter-cultural lifestyle

- The poignant legacy of a female artist whose life was cut short all too soon

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