12/10/2026
🎨 With less than a month left of ‘The Rossettis: Siblings and Spouses’, an exhibition spanning eight rooms of the manor, we thought we’d give you a sneak peak to the first three rooms of the exhibition.
📚 In the Library we introduce the Rossetti children’s childhood, their early inspirations, influences and collaborations - inspired by the two portraits of the Rossetti parents, Frances and Gabrielle, in our collection. There are quotes from Lady Mander, Rosalie Glynn Grylls’ groundbreaking Rossetti biography throughout the exhibition to emphasis the importance of her scholarship and achievement amassing such a comprehensive collection of Rossetti family objects and artworks for Wightwick, with her husband Sir Geoffrey Mander.
🌳 Then in the Upper Hall is our family tree showing you the family dynamics of the four Rossetti siblings - Maria, Dante, William and Christina, and the two spouses - Elizabeth Siddal and Lucy Madox Brown.
🖼️ In the Morning Room is the teenage artistic output of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The pen and ink sketches are too delicate to be on constant display, but we bought them out especially for the exhibition this year.
📖 Then in the Billiard Room we focus on husband and wife, William and Lucy Madox Brown, with Lucy’s painting ‘Romeo and Juliet’, a first edition of ‘The Germ’ - the Pre-Raphaelite magazine William contributed to, a facsimile copy of Lucy’s biography of Mary Shelley, and portraits of both of them on display together.
🖌️The exhibition is free to National Trust members, and is included with the regular entry price.
