The Plague of Elliant – Sketch of a Cart carrying the Dead 1859

Sir John Everett Millais made this pencil sketch of ‘The Plague of Elliant – Sketch of a Cart carrying the Dead’ sometime in the 19th century. Millais was a pillar of the Royal Academy, and like many artists of his time, he turned to history for subject matter. The title references a terrible plague in Elliant, France, which likely struck Millais as both a human tragedy and a fitting subject for his art. Notice how the sketch focuses on the cart, a symbol of death and social breakdown, rather than on individual suffering. The image creates meaning through historical associations and visual codes. How might the cultural and social context of Victorian England—with its fascination for history, its burgeoning art market, and its public health concerns—have influenced Millais? A deep dive into parish records, period newspapers, and the history of medicine might tell us more. Ultimately, art is not made in a vacuum. It is contingent on social context. We can begin to understand it better by understanding the institutions and conditions that shaped its production.