Head of a Young Woman 1863 - 1865

Dante Gabriel Rossetti made this drawing of a young woman, using graphite, sometime in the mid-19th century. Rossetti was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who rejected what they saw as the tired formulas of academic art, in favour of the vivid colour and complex compositions of the early Italian Renaissance. The women in Rossetti’s paintings and drawings often seem to challenge Victorian ideals of womanhood. The identity of this model is unknown, but she could be one of the many unconventional women from the artist’s social circle. Rossetti was known to have been a somewhat rebellious figure, who often challenged the strictures of the Victorian art establishment. To understand the artwork better, we can research Rossetti’s life and the broader social and cultural context of Victorian England, including its complex relationship with the rapidly changing role of women. The study of art gives us insight into what kind of society it was that fostered that art.