Mr Charles Ricketts and Mr Charles Hazelwood Shannon [Part IX] 1897

Curator: Sir William Rothenstein gifted us this delicate pencil sketch, "Mr Charles Ricketts and Mr Charles Hazelwood Shannon [Part IX]." Editor: Oh, it feels like a fleeting moment captured, doesn't it? A shared contemplation, almost sepia-toned in my mind. Curator: Exactly. Rothenstein's rendering of Ricketts and Shannon speaks volumes about their intertwined artistic and personal lives. They were partners, after all, in art and life. Editor: I see the weight of their creative worlds in their bowed heads. There’s a pensiveness in the air, like the quiet before a creative storm. Curator: Their relationship challenged the rigid Victorian societal norms, and Rothenstein immortalizes their artistic collaboration and queer identity with such subtlety. Editor: It’s amazing how much emotion he coaxes from such simple lines. I feel like I know them, somehow. Curator: This sketch reveals a tender, often overlooked, facet of their relationship—a moment of introspective companionship. Editor: Makes you wonder what they were pondering, right? It’s a lovely, lasting glimpse into an artistic sanctuary.