Elizabeth Siddal (1829–1862) was a groundbreaking Pre-Raphaelite artist, poet, and model whose life and work helped shape one of the most influential art movements of the Victorian era. Best known today as the face of John Everett Millais’ Ophelia and as the creative partner of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Siddal forged an artistic legacy entirely her own, that’s rich with symbolism, emotion, and quiet rebellion. This page serves as a guide to her art, her story, and her enduring influence.
For years, Siddal’s reputation was overshadowed by her role as muse to Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. But today, scholars and admirers recognize a different truth: Siddal was an artist of remarkable sensitivity and originality. She exhibited at the same time as her male peers, earned Victorian art critic John Ruskin’s patronage, and produced a body of work that explores love, loss, identity, and medieval legend. Her art and poetry reveal a voice that is intimate, haunting, and unmistakably her own.
Life
Biography of Elizabeth Siddal
- Drawn Together: Elizabeth Siddal and Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- Georgiana Burne-Jones writes about her friendship with Elizabeth Siddal
- Letters written by Elizabeth Siddal
- Poet William Bell Scott recalls Elizabeth Siddal
- The Murderer in Lizzie Siddal’s Childhood
- William Holman Hunt on Elizabeth Siddal’s discovery
Death
Lizzie, in frequent ill-health, became dependent on laudanum. She died in 1862 of an overdose. Gabriel buried his only manuscript of his poems with her. Seven years later, he had her coffin exhumed in order to retrieve the poems for publication. Read more.
Highgate Cemetery: A Visit to Lizzie’s Grave
