Although it is often referred to as the ‘Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’ (the group was initially founded by seven male poets in 1848), women played an active role within it. Not only did they sit for painters, influencing the male artists’ imagery through their unique physical appearances, but they, too, were ambitious and professional artists. Aware of their oppression in society, and of the passivity of their poses in the work of men, they often chose strong heroines of the past as their subjects, and depicted women as symbols of strength, humility and intellect.
