Alice

This is a bit off topic as it has nothing to do with Oz, but I found it fascinating. Last night I went to an exhibit of paintings by William Holman Hunt (Victorian Pre-Raphaelite painter) and others of his circle, at the Institute of Arts. Among the paintings on display was a small panel by Arthur Hughes called Lady with the Lilacs, which had originally been in the collection of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).

I was immediately struck by how similar the girl in the painting was to Dodgson's own illustrations for Alice's Adventures Under Ground, the precursor to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I remember having once read that the author had a painting by Hughes in his collection that he possibly referred to when preparing his illustrations, but it was very fun to see the piece in question in person!

The painting was received in October, 1863, and Dodgson finished his illustrations in September, 1864. He didn't base his drawings of Alice on Alice Liddell, the inspiration for the book, but it certainly looks like he may have based them on this painting.