Jane Burden, Mrs William Morris (1839-1914)

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a beautiful painting today! It's a portrait of a lady named Jane Burden. Look at her! Isn't she lovely? nn Does anyone know what a portrait is? It's a picture of a person, just like a photograph, but it's painted! This one was painted a long, long time ago, in 1870. That's almost 150 years ago! Can you imagine what life was like then? nn

This painting is special because it's round, like a big circle! It's painted by an artist named Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He was really good at painting people. See how he painted her hair? It's bright red, like a fire! And her dress is a creamy color. What other colors do you see? nn

Look closely at Jane's face. See her eyes? They look so pretty, don't they? And what about her fan? It's big and feathery. Do you think it's made of real feathers? Why do you think the artist painted her with a fan? What do you think she might be thinking? nn

Rossetti was part of a group of artists called the Pre-Raphaelites. They liked to paint things very carefully, with lots of detail. They also liked to paint beautiful ladies, like Jane. This painting is a really good example of their style. It's like a window into the past, showing us what people looked like and what was important to them a long time ago. nn

So, what did you think of Jane's portrait? What was your favorite part? Remember, looking at art is all about having your own thoughts and feelings about it. There are no wrong answers! Now, let's go see some more amazing art!