William Michael Rossetti facts for kids
William Michael Rossetti (born September 25, 1829 – died February 5, 1919) was an English writer and art expert. He was known for his work as a critic and for helping to organize an important art group.
Early Life and Family
William Michael Rossetti was born in London. His father, Gabriele Rossetti, was an Italian scholar who had moved to England. His mother was Frances Polidori. William was one of four talented children. His siblings were Maria Francesca Rossetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (a famous painter and poet), and Christina Georgina Rossetti (a well-known poet).
His Work and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
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In 1848, William Michael Rossetti became one of the seven founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. This was a group of English painters, poets, and critics. They wanted to change art by going back to the detailed and colorful styles of art before the Italian artist Raphael.
William Michael Rossetti was like the group's unofficial organizer. He also kept records of their work. He was the editor of their magazine, The Germ, which was published four times in 1850. In this magazine, he wrote reviews about poetry.
At their first meeting in September 1848, William Michael Rossetti wrote down the main goals of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. They wanted to:
- Have real and important ideas to share in their art.
- Study nature very carefully to learn how to show their ideas.
- Appreciate art that was honest, serious, and came from the heart. They wanted to avoid art that was just showy or copied from others.
- Create truly excellent paintings and sculptures.
Even though Rossetti had a full-time job working for the government, he wrote a lot. He wrote many reviews and biographies about different artists and writers. For example, he wrote about Algernon Charles Swinburne and James Abbott McNeill Whistler.
He also edited the journals of his uncle, John Polidori. John Polidori wrote a famous vampire story called The Vampyre and was a doctor for the poet Lord Byron. William Michael Rossetti also wrote a detailed book about his brother, D. G. Rossetti. He put together the collected writings of both his brother Dante and his sister Christina.
William Michael Rossetti helped bring the poetry of American writer Walt Whitman to Britain. He edited the first British edition of Whitman's poems, which came out in 1868. However, some parts of this edition were changed to be less controversial. Anne Gilchrist, who later wrote about Whitman, first read his poems from Rossetti's edition. Rossetti even helped them start writing letters to each other.
Rossetti also wrote many articles for the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. He wrote about art topics.
Family Life
In 1874, William Michael Rossetti married Lucy Madox Brown. She was the daughter of the painter Ford Madox Brown. They went on their honeymoon to France and Italy.
They had five children:
- Olivia Frances Madox, born in 1875.
- Gabriel Arthur, born in 1877.
- Helen Maria, born in 1879.
- Twins, Mary Elizabeth and Michael Ford, born in 1881.
Sadly, their son Michael died when he was a baby. The children were taught at home by their mother and other teachers.
Their daughter Olivia later married an Italian man named Antonio Agresti. She moved to Italy and became a translator and writer. After her husband died, she became friends with the writer Ezra Pound. Their son Gabriel Arthur became a scientist. Helen became a painter. She married Gastone Angeli, but he died a few months later. Helen had their daughter, Imogen Lucy, in 1904. In 1903, Helen and Olivia also wrote a novel together called A Girl Among the Anarchists. It was a fictional story based on their own experiences.
William Michael Rossetti passed away on February 5, 1919. He is buried in the Rossetti family grave at Highgate Cemetery in London. His father, mother, his brother Dante's wife Elizabeth Siddal, and his sister Christina are also buried there. Other family members have been buried there since.
See also
