Did you know this about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood?

24th February 2019

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood were founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The group was made up of English painters, poets and critics. Joining the three founders were four more members; William Michael Rossetti, James Collinson and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This formed the seven members which were known as the Brotherhood.

The principles of this group have been influential for artists; notably the first wave of artists were Ford Madox Brown, Arthur Hughes and Marie Spartali Stillman.

It was this original group in 1848 that inspired a later more medieval strain of the group which included Edward Burne-Jones. Rossetti in particular had a huge impact on Burne-Jones, William Morris and friends.

The Brotherhood was a direct response to the work of Raphael. The classical poses he favoured created elegant art and they believed this had a corrupting influence on the academic teaching of art. The name therefore… Pre-Raphaelite.
The Brotherhood wanted to focus on reviving art to the Quattrocento Italian art. Full of intense vibrant colours, minute detailing and complex compositions. That art is truly beautiful; if you ever get the chance to see any of the Pre-Raphaelite artists art, you should seize it! There’s some pieces in the Tate in London; if you visit, be sure to look out for them.
The published their own periodical; The Germ. They used this to promote their ideas. Though remembered for their art, this publication included ideas and concerns which allowed them to spread the message of the group to a wider society. This was a great way to spread their message – there was no social media viral movement in those days remember!
The movement was founded in John Millais’s parents house on Gower Street in London. In attendance; Millais, Rossetti and Holman Hunt.
The Brotherhood actually intended to keep the existence of the group secret of the Royal Academy.
The Brotherhood was much more than a period or aspect of art. It was a social, political and cultural phenomenon and rebellion.
The medieval strain of the group which included Burne-Jones and Morris was at a time where mass industrialisation was occurring; the group were passionate about using traditional methods of craft by traditional and skilled craftsmen.
Because the movement was supposed to be secret. The founding members signed paintings with, ‘’PRB’’ along with their own signature. They then refused to explain the initials and this piqued the interest of the art critics and buyers of the time.
1848 – the year the Brotherhood was founded, became known as the, ‘Year of Revolution.’ Beginning in France and spreading across Europe. The cause was the political and social dissatisfaction and unrest of the time. The working and middle classes wanted freedom of speech and democracy.
John Everett Millais – one of the founding members of the PRB was gifted from a young age. Becoming aware of his talents when he was aged nine, his mother moved them to London and he was granted early entry to the Royal Academy when he was only eleven. He was the youngest student ever to be admitted.
You can’t speak about the Brotherhood and their work without mentioning the women. Their models and muses that dominate their work have caused them to be known as ultimate Pre Raphaelite women. This gains us an insight as to what their ideal beauty looked like at the time. Lizzie Siddal and Jane Morris were amongst these women and feature in many of the paintings. Siddal was a muse for many of the artists; notably her husband’s in particular. She married Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1860.

We hope you enjoyed this blog and learnt more about the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood. There’s so much to read and learn about the movement that we can’t possibly include it all in one blog. However – keep your eyes peeled for further updates on our blog and social media; we love to post on Instagram and Twitter!

We’re back open ☺️ sorry we’ve been so quiet on here, we’ve had a few weeks off for holidays 🫶🏻 We’re back now and ready to send out your floral magic kitchenware and fabrics ✨
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Still dreaming of last summer with my wedding bouquet and our “Jean” design we had for our napkins 🫶🏻 It’s an original Laura’s Beau design out our archive and named after my lovely Nanny, we have it in blue and this sage green, but we’re always dreaming of new colour ways to print it in 💭 What colour do you think would look good? ✨
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Golden Lily on the table today 🧁 everything should feel special even a little coffee and cake with friends, so we dressed the table up for it to make it extra special, isn’t Golden Lily such a beautiful William Morris design, one of our all time favourites ✨
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Gorgeous William Morris Sweet Briar fabric! 🌿 Love the green leaves and pink flowers 🫶🏻 We have it in cotton, heavyweight cotton, and pvc, so you’ll find the perfect fit for your project ✨ 🪡🧵
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We’re having a moving sale over on our website! ✨ There are some absolute bargains to be had, including all these items! 🛒 Remember we offer free UK postage on all orders too 🌿 Plus we have a 15% off code running at the moment with code; JAN15 🫶🏻
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We’ve got some fab bundles on our Etsy - we have a lot of offcuts from end of rolls and floral fabric magic can’t be wasted so we bundle them up ✨ Perfect for crafting, we have heavyweight fabric bundles and cotton available now, but hurry, they always sell out quick 🥰
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Guess who has a new bed for our new offices ✨ The king of naps, he will wake for biscuits, pets and little else during his day in the office 🫶🏻 His bed is covered in our licensed William Morris Willow Bough green and it looks so beautiful 🌿 The perfect bed to nap on all day ✨
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Has anyone got any January crafts? ❄️ After we’ve settled in our new office, we’re planning some cosy January crafts whilst we hibernate a little! 🌨️ This board is a beautiful way to display photos and notes that was covered in a fabric we no longer loved so last year I recovered it with something we did like - a range of our exclusive quilting fabrics and now it hangs proudly on the wall, showing you can upcycle things to be something you really love 🫶🏻
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We’ve been a little quiet on here as we’ve been in the absolute trenches moving our office! ✨ Now we just need to settle in and find everything we’ve shoved in boxes and bags and then stashed in random places(!) but, we’re getting there 🫶🏻 Nothing will change for you ordering but we’ll have a new returns address 📮 It’s taken an absolute task force to move all that fabric and products and we’ve found some things for a little moving sale if anyone is interested… ✨
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Not long to go until Christmas now ✨ Have you got your Christmas table sorted and your presents wrapped? 🎄
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The stockings were hung by the fire with care…✨ A week until Christmas Eve! 🎄 Still lots of time to order since we post the next working day with a 24hr service 🤶🏻
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One of our biggest sellers this year for Christmas gifts - our licensed William Morris oven gloves ✨ Practical and stylish, every home needs a set, hanging some Morris floral magic over the cooker 🎄 Lots of designs are still in stock and with our free UK postage being tracked 24 Royal Mail, there’s still quite a few shopping days left until Christmas 📮 (I’ll even gift wrap it for free for you as an option at checkout, even though my own Christmas gifts are all hidden in the wardrobe still to wrap 😂) 🤶🏻🎅🏼
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One pack of napkins folded four ways for Christmas tablescapes ✨ Which is your favourite? 🎄 We always love when a table set up comes with a little chocolate treat 🎅🏼 Beautiful Charlotte Rose is one of our favourites all year round, it can be dressed so many ways from Christmas to summer 🫶🏻
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There’s still plenty of shopping time before Christmas with our free UK postage with Royal Mail tracked 24 📮 We’re also doing free gift wrap on our website as an option at checkout 🤶🏻 Take 15% off too until the 20th December so whether for a gift of Christmas hosting having beautiful florals on the table, use code; FESTIVE at checkout on our website 🎄
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Oh Mallow Forest Green, we love you on our festive tablescapes 🎄
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Obsessed with this tree with all the vintage ornaments on the tree this year ✨ They were all grandparents so very special 🎄 having a little coffee and cake whilst the lights twinkle is so lovely ✨ This is our William Morris Golden Lily tablecloth, beautiful year round 🫶🏻
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It’s a blue and white Christmas over here 🙋🏽‍♀️ We went to the beautiful Christmas event at @harewoodhouse by the wonderfully talented @interiorcurve and we’re so inspired to have a themed blue and white tree and we’re so glad we did! 🤶🏻 This is our William Morris Merton blue, isn’t it beautiful, and so lovely to be able to dress it in various ways throughout the year, it’s so versatile ✨
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What design are you having on your Christmas table? 🎄 We’re debating a few - our new forest green colours, our strawberry thief red, or maybe a Christmas blue and white… ✨
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Christmas tablescaping all month long ✨ are you feeling festive already? 🎄 This is our Brother Rabbit blue design, isn’t it gorgeous 🌿
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BLACK FRIDAY ENDS TONIGHT! ✨ use code; BLACKFRIDAY at checkout on our website to take 20% off everything - go, go, go! 🎄 We also have free gift wrap available at checkout so we can send gifts directly to loved ones or back to you gift wrapped and ready to go, we’re in the festive spirit so will gift wrap whilst we sing along to some festive songs 🤶🏻🎄
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Did you know this about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood?

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