10 Pre-Raphaelites You May (Or May Not) Have Heard Of

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was an artistic group formed in 1848 in London. It was founded by seven artists—painters and writers—who set out a new artistic canon. Inspired by the theories of influential art critic and thinker John Ruskin, they went on to shape the English Victorian society as well as subsequent artistic movements of the time.

At the core of the Pre-Raphaelite art was a stark opposition to the Royal Academy doctrine, which preferred genre painting and the aesthetics of Renaissance master Raphael. The Pre-Raphaelites believed that artists should have the freedom to express themselves and their art as they saw fit. Their principles were voluntarily broad, supporting realism, genuine new ideas, and a connection to nature and natural beauty.

Their early paintings were predominantly religious, although their fame arguably came when they moved towards Medieval-inspired themes of love and death. Some of the Pre-Raphaelites’ favorite subjects were legends (like that of King Arthur) and literature (such as Shakespeare’s plays).

Beyond the Brotherhood

In their time, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood exerted a huge influence on English artistic and social life. As the name suggests, the Brotherhood was composed of men exclusively and never went beyond the original seven members. However, several artists took great inspiration from Pre-Raphaelite ideals and made them their own. These included a number of women, some of whom managed to break away from the assigned role as “muses” and were recognized as artists in their own right.

Pre-Raphaelite ideals went on to shape artistic media beyond painting, spreading from fine to decorative art. Today, we often refer to Pre-Raphaelites in the broader sense, including both the original Brotherhood and the many followers, styles, and media that it influenced.

1. Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and perhaps the most well-known name in the group. He was a very eclectic artist, working as a poet, translator, and illustrator. He was also a painter, though for that he didn’t receive as much praise. After a heavily criticized exhibition in 1850, he rarely displayed his paintings in public.

Nonetheless, Rossetti’s ideals and personality made him a very influential voice, particularly across the 1850s–1860s, with connections that ran deep into the artistic society of England at the time. His art was characterized by an appreciation of beauty—often portrayed by women—and a return to idealized Medieval settings and fashion. He is also considered a key influencing figure for the European Symbolism movement of the late 1800s.

2. William Holman Hunt

Another founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Holman Hunt (1827–1910). worked exclusively as a painter. His artworks are known for their heavily symbolic meanings, attention to detail, and bold colors. Of the members of the Brotherhood, he is the one who remained staunchly close to their ideals throughout his career.

His early works struggled with average critical reception. In the mid-1850s, he embarked on a journey to the Middle East that took him eventually to Jerusalem, where he resided for a while. On his return to London, he shifted his artistic focus to religious subjects and teachings. His profile rose, as did his critical success. This eventually granted him a stable career, with lucrative commissions from religious institutions, including St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

3. John Everett Millais

John Everett Millais (1829–1896) was one of the most famous and influential artists of his time. He was also one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Millais entered the artistic circles of London from a very tender age, when, aged 11, he became the youngest ever student of the Royal Academy Schools. Millais achieved critical acclaim with some of his Pre-Raphaelite art. He was fascinated with Shakespeare and his characters, which often feature in his early works (such as one of his most iconic masterpieces, Ophelia).

Perhaps his most famous (or infamous) painting, though, is Christ in the House of His Parents. It portrays Jesus in Joseph’s carpentry shop—in what is a distinctly un-religious setting. It was harshly criticized at the time, including famously by Charles Dickens, for its lack of reverence towards the characters. Despite (or perhaps thanks to) the outrage it caused, it is often considered the artwork that catapulted the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood into the spotlight.

Millais later abandoned the Pre-Raphaelite canon in favor of more palatable art. This granted him huge commercial success but harsh criticism from his followers, who accused him of cheapening artistic ideals in favor of wealth.

4. James Collinson

Another member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, James Collinson (1825–1881), was a painter and poet. Despite being one of the founders, he resigned from the Brotherhood in 1850, when Millais’ Christ in the House of his Parents was so severely criticized for its “blasphemous” portrayal of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. A devout Christian himself, Collinson didn’t want to be associated with a movement that justified improper takes on religious canons. Though he had produced several works with religious themes, he soon abandoned painting to train as a priest.

Only a few years later, in 1854, he changed his mind and returned to painting. This time, he specialized in unchallenging secular scenes, often depicting women. He regularly made several versions of the same painting, renaming them each time. Out of the original members of the Brotherhood, he was perhaps the least successful and most forgettable. Anecdotes suggest that, even within his circle, he was primarily known for his ability to fall asleep.

5. Marie Spartali Stillman

Marie Spartali Stillman (1844–1927) was one of the most famous names amongst women artists associated with Pre-Raphaelite ideals, and certainly one of the most accomplished. Despite the relatively small number of women painters at the time, Marie carved out a long career as an artist in her own right. She moved in the Pre-Raphaelite circles very early on, often posing for paintings. In 1864, aged 20, she began to train as a painter herself under Ford Madox Brown. She continued to paint for the rest of her life.

Her works often depict subjects that are typical of Pre-Raphaelites, such as Arthurian legends. Her husband, William, was an American journalist who worked as a correspondent for The Times in Italy. As such, Marie lived in Florence and Rome for a number of years. There she developed a passion for another subject that became one of her favorites—Dante’s Divine Comedy.

6. Ford Madox Brown

Ford Madox Brown (1821–1893) never joined the Brotherhood, despite being greatly admired by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. However, he was regularly in contact with them and was certainly influenced by their style, in particular the use of bold colors and realistic depictions. Though a Pre-Raphaelite in style, unlike most of the members of the Brotherhood, he applied his art to moral, historical, and often satirical subject matters. His most famous work is perhaps Work, in which he attempted to depict the Victorian social system in just one scene. Brown painted two near-identical versions of this piece—one housed in Birmingham (1863) and the other in Manchester (1865).

Ford Madox Brown was a very influential artist at the time and for future generations. He was a teacher to both Marie Spartali Stillman and his two daughters, Lucy and Catherine. Both went on to become artists in their own right.

7. Arthur Hughes

Arthur Hughes (1832–1915) never became an official member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but he was very close to its ideals, as well as some of its members. Hughes began painting very early in his life, displaying his first works at the Royal Academy aged just 17. In 1850, he bought into the Pre-Raphaelite ideals and began to paint in their style. It was during this time that he created some of his most renowned works, including what is perhaps his greatest masterpiece—April Love.

From the mid-1850s, he began a career as an illustrator, which proved to be very successful. Among others, he notably illustrated the poems of Christina Rossetti, sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and a notable figure in Pre-Raphaelite circles.

8. William Morris

William Morris (1834–1896) is widely considered one of the most influential artists of the Victorian Era and beyond. He wasn’t part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood himself, although he shared many of their ideals—so much so that in 1856 he founded The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine to promote their art and beliefs. Morris was an eclectic artist, working as a writer, poet, and illustrator. It is, however, his work as a textile designer that still defines him to this day.

In 1861, he founded a decorative art company with other famous artists from the Pre-Raphaelite movement (including Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Ford Madox Brown), which was later renamed Morris & Co. The firm was hugely influential in dictating decorative canons in the Victorian Era. With his company, Morris worked on designs for fabrics, wallpapers, furniture, even stained-glass windows and tapestries. His designs were reminiscent of Medieval art, including heavy embroideries and often floral or natural designs.

9. May Morris

Daughter of William Morris, May Morris (1862–1938) was a well-respected and prolific embroiderer and designer. Though not a Pre-Raphaelite herself, her designs were connected to the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. Aged 23, she became the head of the embroidery department at Morris & Co, contributing to its success and establishing herself as a prominent name in the arts and crafts.

May Morris was also a tireless activist. She used her position to raise awareness of the lack of opportunities and support for women in the fine and decorative arts. To that extent, in 1907, she founded the Women’s Guild of Arts, which continued to provide support to women artists until 1961. Despite her relative fame and achievements at the time, her legacy has long been overshadowed by her father’s. In recent years, however, her artistry and contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement are being rediscovered.

10. Edward Burne-Jones

Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898) was not a member of the Brotherhood but was heavily influenced by their style and vision, becoming a key supporter of their canon. He was a prolific painter, poet, and illustrator. He also designed sets and costumes for the theater and experimented with other decorative arts such as stained glass windows. He was a close friend of William Morris, who recruited him to be a contributor to The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine and later to be part of his decorative art company. Burne-Jones was a keen adopter of Pre-Raphaelite ideals, in particular the fascination with Medieval subject matter, which is visible in many of his artworks. He was particularly fond of the legend of King Arthur.

In his lifetime, he was widely recognized and appreciated. Amongst the acknowledgements, he was appointed an Associate of the prestigious Royal Academy, became Honorary Fellow of Oxford University, and was made a baronet. On his death, he also became the first artist to be honored with a memorial service at Westminster Abbey.