Evelyn De Morgan
British·1855–1919
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Evelyn De Morgan (1855–1919) defied Victorian expectations to become one of the era's finest painters. Born Mary Evelyn Pickering into London's upper class, she dropped her first name because it could be read as feminine, wanting her work judged on merit alone. On her seventeenth birthday, she wrote in her diary: "Art is eternal, but life is short... I have not a moment to lose."
She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, where she was among the first women admitted, winning multiple prizes and a scholarship. Her uncle, the painter John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, introduced her to the Pre-Raphaelite circle. Visits to Florence with him exposed her to Botticelli and Quattrocento masters, whose influence appears throughout her work.
De Morgan's paintings feature female figures in spiritual, mythological, and allegorical themes, using metaphors of light and darkness, transformation, and bondage. Scholars identify feminist and spiritualist content in her symbolic imagery. In 1877, she was one of only two women exhibiting at the Grosvenor Gallery's inaugural show. She was active in the suffragette movement, signing the 1889 Declaration in Favor of Women's Suffrage. In 1887, she married ceramicist William De Morgan; profits from her paintings financed his pottery business. Her later work addressed war from a pacifist perspective, responding to the Boer War and World War I. She completed around 100 oil paintings over her fifty-year career. The De Morgan Foundation preserves 56 of them, along with preparatory drawings. She died in 1919 and was buried in Brookwood Cemetery.
Notable Works by Evelyn De Morgan
1 painting catalogued with museum locations
Museums with Evelyn De Morgan's Work
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About Evelyn De Morgan
De Morgan was associated with the later Pre-Raphaelite movement, as well as Aestheticism and Symbolism. She studied Italian Renaissance masters, particularly Botticelli, whose influence is visible in her flowing figures. She developed friendships with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt.
The De Morgan Foundation holds 56 of her oil paintings, displayed at various exhibitions. Works occasionally appear at the Tate and in touring exhibitions. The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery in Bournemouth and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery also own significant pieces.
She painted allegorical and mythological subjects featuring female figures, with themes of transformation, spiritualism, and feminist symbolism. Her women are powerful figures representing abstract concepts like Love, Life, and Death. Her later works addressed war from a pacifist perspective.
Yes, she was active in the women's suffrage movement, signing the 1889 Declaration in Favor of Women's Suffrage alongside other prominent figures. Her paintings frequently addressed women's oppression through allegory. She also practiced spiritualism with her husband and championed pacifism during World War I.
She dropped "Mary" because it was clearly feminine. She wanted her work judged on merit, not gender, using the ambiguous "Evelyn" to avoid prejudice. She was among the first women to study at the Slade School of Art and consistently fought against gendered expectations throughout her career.
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