Shining a Light

In I Wake Again, a new exhibit at the Delaware Art Museum, pieces by Holly Trostle Brigham ’88 spotlight the life and work of Pre-Raphaelite artist Elizabeth Siddal. Remembered by history primarily as a muse and model for her husband, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in the mid-1800s, Siddal herself was a skilled artist and poet.

“I have been painting women artists and writers my whole career,” Brigham says. “I’m attempting to make them better known and to give them opportunities that they may not have had.” Through a collection of works including an intricate artist’s book, hand-cut clay tiles, and an expansive watercolor (below), Brigham aims to shift the public’s eye from Siddal as the overlooked wife of a famous husband to an accomplished artist in her own right. The exhibit runs through May 29, 2022.

I WAKE AGAIN
Holly Trostle Brigham ’88
hollytrostlebrigham.com

This story appears as part of the Smithies Create column in the Spring 2022 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.