The Angel of Light

The Angel of Light

John Everett Millais

Wood engraving by the Dalziels

6¼ x 4¼ inches

Anthony Trollope,Orley Farm, Vol 1, facing p. 257.

This illustration introduces another female character, Mary Snow, who was supported by Felix Graham with the promise of marriage once she was old enough. Mary’s entrance complicates the love-theme and asserts a familiar trope: the sexual secrets of privileged young men. Millais depicts her in a slightly undignified pose in the privacy of her bedroom; her costume, which contrasts with those of her social superiors, subtly points to the complications of class-difference.

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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

[You may use this image, which has been reproduced with permission of Professor Julia Thomas, DMVI, Cardiff University, Wales, UK, without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]