Barbara Bodichon: Trailblazer

It is a pleasure to welcome the wonderful Fiona Slattery Clark who is  Curator of Decorative Art for National Museums Liverpool. Fiona joins us to discuss her current exhibition 'May Morris: Crafting a Legacy'. This exhibition is a celebration of the wide-ranging creative output of Arts and Crafts designer and maker, May Morris, the younger daughter of William Morris. A vibrant display of embroideries, wallpapers, watercolour designs, costume and jewellery showcase her many talents. May Morris devoted her life to crafting a legacy which continues to inspire designers, makers and educators today.

It is a pleasure to welcome Alessia Attanasio and Vincenzo Pernice to the podcast to discuss the influence of Baroque art on the Pre-Raphaelites. Alessia and Vincenzo outline what we mean by Baroque art across Europe and in Britain, they explore the crucial missing centuries between the Pre-Raphaelites and their more obvious Renaissance and Medieval influences. A fascinating and enlightening episode which creates links that are not always apparent between artistic movements.     

An enormous welcome to both Cecelia Rose and Casey Maeve. Cecelia is a familiar voice to our long-term listeners and has now joined us on the wonderful podcast team. Her first guest is Casey Maeve, a PhD student at the University of Birmingham whose work focuses on nineteenth-century poetic depictions of Sappho. Casey explores the history of Sappho, her unique appeal to the Pre-Raphaelites and how this translated into the later Decadence and Aesthete movements by empowering and inspiring a new generation of both women and queer writers. 

It is a pleasure to welcome the wonderful Jane Robinson to the podcast to speak about the life and work of Barbara Bodichon. A true early trailblazer across a number of political rights movements, Bodichon's artistic style and collaborative, social networks are rooted in Pre-Raphaelitism. Jane traces Barbara's story, exploring her unique artistic style, Pre-Raphaelite friendships and her pioneering political works.    To find out more about Jane's work, please visit : https://www.jane-robinson.com/books.html 

We are delighted to welcome Glenda Youde and Steve Kenyon who join us to share the details of a new Blue Plaque being unveiled in Matlock, Derbyshire. Celebrating the long stay of Dante Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal in Lime Tree View, Glenda and Steve tell us about their time in Matlock and the fascinating history of the property. Please join them for the grand reveal on the 9th May 2026. For tickets, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dante-gabriel-rossetti-and-elizabeth-siddal-in-matlock-tickets-1984180310722 

We are pleased to welcome Bill Toomey, Daniel Sutherland and Carol Jacobi from the Whistler Society to explore the extraordinary life and works of James McNeill Whistler. Instrumental in the shift towards Aestheticism, Whistler was always remarkably forward thinking, ahead of his time and radical in his approach to art. This episode precedes a major retrospective on Whistler opening at the Tate in May.    To find out more, please visit: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/whistler 

March is Morris Month. To celebrate, we are delighted to welcome Gabriella Esser and Vanessa Manson from The William Morris Society to share the life and legacies of Morris. Gabriella and Vanessa tell us about a busy March, filled with activities, talks and events, many of which are accessible online. To find out more about Morris Month, The William Morris Society, their events and charity work, as well as their education outreach and travelling exhibitions, please visit: https://williammorrissociety.org/morris-month/ https://williammorrissociety.org/    To follow The William Morris Society on social media, please visit:  https://www.facebook.com/TheWilliamMorrisSociety https://www.instagram.com/williammorrissocietyuk/  

A huge welcome and congratulations to the wonderful Dr Alex Round. A familiar voice to you all, Dr Alex has now completed her PhD and joins us today to discuss her research, interrogate the term sisterhood and share some tips for studying a PhD in Pre-Raphaelite studies. On behalf of the Podcast team and The Pre-Raphaelite Society, a huge congratulations and thank you for all the work that you do.

It is a pleasure to welcome back the wonderful Cecelia Rose to share her research around John William Waterhouse's likely membership of The Golden Dawn, a secret society formed in the late nineteenth-century. Cecelia explains how the Golden Dawn was linked to many artists and literary figures at the time and shows us a number of hidden clues and symbols in Waterhouse's art pointing towards membership. 

A wonderful, warm welcome to the poet Sarah James who joins our guest presenter Sarah Doyle to discuss her latest publication 'Darling Blue'. Sarah shares her creative journey and poetic processes as well as discussing some of the paintings that have inspired her poetry. 'Darling Blue' is available now, please visit: https://www.sarah-james.co.uk/?page_id=17191 to find out more and order a copy, you will not be disappointed.