Tennyson’s Edward Gray 1855 - 1856

This graphite sketch is by Sir John Everett Millais, and is entitled 'Tennyson’s Edward Gray'. Millais was a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists who rejected the artistic conventions of the Royal Academy. This sketch hints at the emotional turmoil in Tennyson's poem, where Edward Gray isolates himself after losing his beloved Annie. Millais here explores themes of grief, rejection, and the complex dynamics between men and women in Victorian society. In the bottom panel, the nakedness of the male figure, contrasted with the clothed female figure, suggests a certain vulnerability and exposure. This contrasts conventional representations of masculinity by hinting at emotional fragility. Millais uses the figures' body language to convey the deep emotional and psychological states of his figures, using the sketch medium to explore the tensions between passion and restraint. Millais’s sketch, though preliminary, offers a glimpse into the artist’s process of grappling with themes of love, loss, and the societal expectations. The use of classical figures helps to highlight emotional experiences which resonate across history.