Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation!
This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters!
In this episode we delve into the life and times of John Everett Millais. We look at how a child prodigy, a sensational artist and a trendsetter and revolutionary, later became a pragmatist, a portraitist and a paid-up part of the establishment – with a statue at the Tate Gallery in London to boot. Oh, and there’s the small matter of several scandals – some relating to his art and others relating to his private life, particularly a sensational love triangle that was quite the talk of Victorian society. Oh, I say!
Links to artworks discussed in this episode:
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/isabella
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-christ-in-the-house-of-his-parents-the-carpenters-shop-n03584
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-ophelia-n01506
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-the-order-of-release-1746-n01657
https://www.ashmolean.org/portrait-john-ruskin
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rescue_(painting)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubbles_(painting)
Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon).
Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor.
If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war.
The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures
view more