“The Knight errant” (1870), John Everett Millais (1829-1896)
(This postcard is part of a vast collection. An artist amassed it over sixty years ago and stored it in a wooden box).
Sir John Everett Millais (1829–1896) was a distinguished English painter and illustrator, celebrated as a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848.
He was born in Southampton to a Jersey family. His mother nurtured his artistic potential. She encouraged his talent and relocated the family to London. This move was to foster connections at the Royal Academy of Art.
At just eleven years old, he became the youngest student at the Royal Academy Schools in 1840. There, he met William Holman Hunt. He also met Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Together, they formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in September 1847 in his family home.
This group of English painters, poets, and art critics, sought to challenge traditional artistic conventions.
Millais’s personal life intertwined with his art and reputation. In 1855, he married Effie. She was formerly the wife of John Ruskin. Ruskin was a critic who had supported Millais’s early works and defended the Pre-Raphaelites. Effie, who modeled for Millais’s painting The Order of Release, annulled her marriage to Ruskin before marrying Millais in 1855. Together, they had eight children.
Effie
Effie became a powerful promoter of his work. They collaborated to secure commissions. They also expanded their social and intellectual circles. Effie’s younger sister Sophie Gray sat for several pictures by Millais. This prompted some speculation about the nature of their apparently fond relationship.
After marriage, Millais transitioned from the meticulous Pre-Raphaelite style to a broader approach. His style became more realistic, a shift criticized by some, including Ruskin. While detractors accused him of prioritizing wealth and popularity, Millais justified his evolving style as a reflection of artistic confidence.
Despite criticisms, his later works brought immense financial success, making him one of his era’s wealthiest artists.
Millais passed away in 1896. A statue in his honor was crafted by Thomas Brock. It was installed at Tate Britain in 1905.
His legacy endures, with notable exhibitions like the 2007 retrospective at Tate Britain visited by 151,000 people. The exhibition then traveled to the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Afterward, it went to venues in Fukuoka and Tokyo, Japan. In total, it was seen by over 660,000 visitors.
Millais’s relationship with Ruskin and Effie has inspired several dramas. One example is the silent film The Love of John Ruskin from 1912.
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