The Model Wife

Effie Gray was at the centre of Victorian England's most scandalous love triangle, involving two giants of the art world. In 1854, refusing to tolerate her increasingly abusive first marriage to John Ruskin, the leading art critic of the time, she requested an annulment. Later she was able to rebuil [...]
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Effie Gray was at the centre of Victorian England's most scandalous love triangle, involving two giants of the art world. In 1854, refusing to tolerate her increasingly abusive first marriage to John Ruskin, the leading art critic of the time, she requested an annulment. Later she was able to rebuild her self-esteem and reputation and to find happiness with the painter John Everett Millais, Ruskin's acclaimed protege. Suzanne Fagence Cooper has gained exclusive access to Effie's extensive and previously unseen letters and diaries to reveal the reality behind this great Victorian love story. A major critical reassessment of the Victorian art world, the book addresses the careers of Ruskin and Millais from a new angle, with Effie emerging as a key figure in the artistic development of both men. Effie, her sisters and daughters appear in many of Millais' most haunting images, embodying Victorian society's fears about female sexuality and freedom. "The Model Wife" is a compelling portrait of the extraordinary woman behind some of the most beautiful and celebrated pre-Raphaelite paintings.