Jan Marsh

Writer and curator Jan Marsh looks at the untold story of a group of women in the Pre-Raphaelite art movement who are at the centre of a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters.

Marsh, who is curator of the exhibition (on until 26 January 2020), explains the contribution of 12 women who were connected to the art movement. She says the women famously portrayed in the works of the Pre-Raphaelites were far from passive mannequins, they were members of a hugely creative social circle and actively helped the art movement. Marsh’s book, Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood, was first published 30 years ago and is still seen as the definitive work on the subject.

Marsh is an expert on the Victorian period and particularly the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris. She is president of the William Morris Society.