The Blossoming of a neo-Aesthete

The Bride of Bethlehem by William Holman Hunt

Where to begin? Well, welcome, first of all to a blog I hope to keep up with fairly regularly, hopefully at least once a week, if not more.

First of all, why this subject? The late 19th century has held a fascination for me ever since I was 14. The gateway into this wondrous world was the viewing of two television series, both airing in 1978 (to the best of my memory) here in the States. The first was Edward the King, starring the great actor Timothy West (father to the brilliant young actor Sam West). I was fascinated by the royal family and all their doings and scandals and tragedies. Amidst it all, the beautiful Mrs. Lillie Langtry appeared -- played by the beautiful Francesca Annis -- and I was captivated by her, just as the king was.

Then came the series Lillie, also starring Ms. Annis, and I was again drawn into the world of riches and beautiful dresses and costumes. Just as my dazzled eyes were beginning to be accustomed to the beauty and scandal of Mrs. Langtry's burgeoning life in London, they were shown a new god, a tall poetical youth in a loose white shirt illuminated by a window and coming forward to salute his new worshipper, though he professed to worship at her feet instead. Oscar Wilde it was who was my new deity, speaking such words of fire and passion to ignite the hungrily passionate soul of a fairly lonely teenager. I immediately went to my nearest library and, checking out Wilde's complete works, I devoured it cover to cover, writing down poems and aphorisms and epigrams and witticisms that caught my eye. Everything he said seemed to resonate deep inside my soul. He became my obsession and he still is.

I learned more and more about Wilde and his times and found more people to be interested in. My first trip to Britain in 1984 was responsible for my complete conversion to the Pre-Raphaelite Movement and its successors. Living in Cambridge, I spent a lot of time in the Fitzwilliam Museum gazing at Pre-Raphaelite paintings there. One, The Bride of Bethlehem by William Holman Hunt, hung on the tiny mezzanine in the museum's front room. The narrow walkway enforced a close perusal of the work and it was an education in color and beauty, as I had never experienced before. I bought a book of Pre-Raphaelite paintings while I was there, and I became fascinated by their work.

Over the years of university, work, then back to university again, I always had this driving fascination with the lives and works of the painters and writers of the late 19th century. Finally in my second and successful attempt to get a bachelors degree, I took this long-standing passion and turned it into my two-year Plan at Marlboro College in Vermont. I narrowed and winnowed my ideas and my interests down to two things, Victorian Bohemian history and artistic and aesthetic dress.

I'll continue this introduction in my next blog entry.