English
DonateMembershipTickets

The Lady of Shalott (Tennyson's Poems, New York, 1903)

Engraver John Thompson British
After William Holman Hunt British
Publisher New Amsterdam Book Company American
1857–1903
Not on view
In 1857 Edward Moxon published a new edition of Poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson illustrated by William Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and John Everett Millais. Their striking Pre-Raphaelite designs puzzled the author and many readers but soon were seen as iconic and republished several times--here in 1903. Hunt’s illustration for The Lady of Shalott imagined the poem’s climax—precipitated when the heroine hears Sir Lancelot singing and leaves her loom to look at him from her window. As a result, a spell that bound her breaks, her tapestry unravels, and a mirror she relied on to view the outside world "crack’d from side to side."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Lady of Shalott (Tennyson's Poems, New York, 1903)
  • Engraver: John Thompson (British, Manchester 1785–1866 London)
  • Artist: After William Holman Hunt (British, London 1827–1910 London)
  • Publisher: New Amsterdam Book Company (New York)
  • Date: 1857–1903
  • Medium: Wood engraving
  • Dimensions: Image: 3 11/16 × 3 3/16 in. (9.4 × 8.1 cm)
    Sheet: 8 in. × 6 3/16 in. (20.3 × 15.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.78.1013
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Author Preface by Joseph Pennell
Author Introduction by William Holman Hunt
Publisher New Amsterdam Book Company
1903
The Father's Leave-Taking, William Holman Hunt  British, Etching; proof
William Holman Hunt
Publisher The Etching Club
1879
Banjo, Wood, various materials, British
British
mid-19th century
The Vision of Hell (Inferno), Dante Alighieri  Italian, Wood engraving
Multiple artists/makers
1866
The Ballad of Oriana (Tennyson's Poems, New York, 1903), William Holman Hunt  British, Photogravure reproducing the artist's drawing on the block
After William Holman Hunt
Publisher New Amsterdam Book Company
1903

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.