author
Lucy Madox Brown Rossetti
1843–1894
A gifted painter, writer, and model in the Pre-Raphaelite circle, she moved through one of Victorian England’s most creative families. Her life linked the worlds of art and literature, from her father Ford Madox Brown to her marriage to critic and writer William Michael Rossetti.
1 Audiobook
Mrs. Shelley
by Lucy Madox Brown Rossetti
About the author
Born in Paris on July 19, 1843, she was the daughter of painter Ford Madox Brown and grew up close to the Rossetti family after her mother died when she was young. That early mix of family loss, artistic training, and literary company helped shape a life deeply connected to the Pre-Raphaelite world.
She worked as a painter, mostly in watercolor, and also sat as a model. Her work was exhibited in the late 1860s and early 1870s, and she is remembered for paintings such as The Duet. In 1874 she married William Michael Rossetti, the writer and art critic, becoming part of a remarkable network of artists and authors on both sides of the family.
Alongside her painting, she also wrote, and her letters and biographical work have helped later readers understand the people around the Pre-Raphaelites. She died on April 12, 1894, but her story still offers a vivid glimpse into the artistic life of nineteenth-century Britain.