Elizabeth Siddal entered the public consciousness in 1852 by posing for John Everett Millais's Ophelia, enduring hours submerged in a cold bathtub to achieve the painting’s realism. Beyond her role as a model for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, she established herself as an artist and poet, becoming the only woman to exhibit at the group's 1857 exhibition.
Origins and Early Exposure
Born on 25 July 1829 at 7 Charles Street, Holborn, Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall was the daughter of a cutlery manufacturer. Around 1831, the family relocated to Southwark. Her education was standard for the period, though she developed a literary interest after discovering Tennyson’s poems on scraps of butter packaging. By 1849, while employed at a millinery in Cranbourne Alley, she caught the attention of the artist Walter Deverell. This chance meeting facilitated her entry into the circle of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, where she became a central subject for painters including William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
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Siddal became a primary muse for the movement, famously portraying Viola in Deverell's Twelfth Night. Her physical presence—marked by coppery hair and delicate features—was captured by numerous contemporaries. By 1853, she had begun taking artistic instruction from Rossetti. Her own output shifted from simple modeling to independent creation; in 1854, she produced a self-portrait that challenged the period's idealized aesthetic by presenting a more assertive image. Between 1855 and 1857, she received a stipend of £150 per year from the critic John Ruskin, who purchased her total production of drawings and watercolors.
Poetry and Final Years
Throughout her career between 1852 and 1861, Siddal produced over one hundred works. Her creative efforts were not limited to the visual arts; she wrote poetry characterized by themes of melancholic isolation and the complexities of human connection. While her verse remained unpublished during her lifetime, it drew later critical praise for its ballad-like simplicity. Siddal struggled with persistent health issues during her later years. She married Dante Gabriel Rossetti, but the union was brief. In 1862, at the age of 33, she died at Blackfriars from a laudanum overdose and was buried at Highgate Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 25 July 1829, Holborn
- Died: 11 February 1862, Blackfriars
- Burial site: Highgate Cemetery
- Primary occupations: Painter, poet, model
- Movement: Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
- Key collections: Ashmolean Museum, Wightwick Manor
- Citizenship: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Exhibition: 1857 Pre-Raphaelite exhibition, London
Questions readers ask
Did Siddal exhibit her art publicly during her life?
Yes, she was the only woman to exhibit work at the 1857 Pre-Raphaelite exhibition held at No. 4 Russell Place, London.
What led to her health decline?
Siddal was described as sickly and melancholic during the final decade of her life, a state exacerbated by an incident during the painting of Ophelia where she caught a severe cold.
Achievements
- Movement: Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
