She was the daughter of an Oxford stable hand. Born of low class, her life radically changed when she attended a play with her sister and by chance met the two Pre-Raphaelite artists, Gabriel Dante Rossetti and William Morris.

She would marry William Morris, whose famous tapestries, wallpaper prints, stained glass and textile designs became the standard of beauty.
She became the muse of Rossetti, and his enchantment with her lasted until the end of his life. She is forever captured in his art and her image remains the hallmark by which Pre-Raphaelite women were depicted.

Deemed a sign of ill breading, her severe features, elongated neck, crisp, crinkled, dark hair, heavy eye brows, pale skin and sunken eyes did not conform to the standard of Victorian beauty.

Her plain, loose fitting, unadorned dresses, free of corsets, defied the tradition of heavily ornamented costumes of the day.

Unable to possess the married Jane in life, Rossetti obsessively held her captive on the canvas where his compulsion manifested itself in the Pre-Raphaelite vision of adherence to nature, romantic legend and mythology. Drawing the observer into the luxurious canvases where art becomes life, those who met Jane Morris were stunned by her unique beauty so accurately portrayed by Rossetti.

While life with William Morris provided financial security for Jane, for both, it appeared to be an unromantic unison. Quiet, introspective Jane was vastly different to Morris' eccentric bombastic temperament.

Morris discretely looked the other way and knew, but did not protest, to Jane's relationship with Rossetti. Rossetti and Jane developed a strong bond, and years later, when because of Rossetti's increasing dependance on chloral and alcohol, Jane broke away, they continued to connect via written communication.

Spiraling into the steep slope of madness, Rossetti became volatile and unpredictable.On his deathbed, he left word that Jane could take whatever she wanted of his possessions. She did not attend his funeral and simply took letters and jewelry worn during the painting sessions.

Her stunning beauty shines through the canvas and continues to haunt. ( )

Being a necessarily scattershot examination of the life and influence of Jane Morris, muse to the pre-Raphaelites. It's an interesting idea for a book within its considerable limitations. The illustrations are thoughtfully chosen and well-presented. ( )