Yale Center for British Art, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain
When people mention 19th-century Pre-Raphaelite art, it often conjures a very specific image—one of glowingly pale women, often gathering wildflowers. Fanny Eaton, the Jamaican-born British art model, was the exception to that rule, but her place in its history has been largely overlooked.
Illustrator and writer Sarah Ushurhe noticed this and sought to change it. She created an animated short about Eaton, which was commissioned by BBC, and even corrected a misidentified sketch at the Victoria and Albert Museum. “The presence and role of Black people in British history is never highlighted as much from an art history perspective,” Ushurhe told Mental Floss in an email. “I'm delighted that this hidden history about her career is being uncovered—it allows Black and mixed heritage people to see themselves in non-subservient positions in Victorian art.” Here are eight facts about Eaton, the oft-forgotten Victorian muse.