Five Years

Art by Thomas Dodd

So last Monday was a momentous occasion.  I had it written on my dayplanner and everything, and yet I've just been so busy I let it slip by without public notice.

Monday was the 5 year anniversary of The Beautiful Necessity. 


In honor of the occasion, I wanted to post the top five most popular blog entries here from the last five years. 

#5 Vogue Cult of Beauty with Saorise Ronan

Because who can blame you all for wanting to look at gorgeous pictures of a modern Stunner?

#4 Pre-Raphaelite Tresses

I'm pretty proud of this one, as it was one of my first forays into doing research on the morals of Victorian times and applying it to an understanding of the Brotherhood. 

Plus, you know....pretty hair.

#3 Singers Love the Lady of Shalott

Modern subtitle: why oh why did Alison Sudol recolor her hair?  :(

#2 Pre-Raphaelites on Model Mayhem

Am I sensing a "pretty ladies in pretty photos" theme here?

#1 Artistic Dress

This one was a surprise to me!  The top most viewed article in the five year history of The Beautiful Necessity is a short one I wrote summarizing the Artistic Dress Movement and its context in Victorian style. 

So there you have it folks!  Five years of The Beautiful Necessity, and hopefully we'll be celebrating our ten year anniversary before we know it!  In the mean time, I hear there's this modest little exhibition coming to Washington DC later this month.

Maybe I'll go... ;)

Snow White and Brer Rabbit

I may not know the name of all of William Morris' wallpaper designs by heart, but I do pride myself whenever I'm able to "catch one in the wild," so to speak.

Looking over a post over at Hooked on Houses, one of my very favorite blogs, I spotted one! 

Ginnifer Goodwin, best known right now for playing Snow White in the tv show Once Upon a Time, is featured in the February issue of Elle magazine sharing her lovely abode.  And what should I spy in the very first photo of her front door and entry?

William Morris' "Brer Rabbit" wallpaper.

I have to say I find this wallpaper pattern to be the absolute perfect thing for a modern fairy tale princess' home.

A Slice and a Stunner

Of all the random P.R.B. sightings, I love this one so much...

Tony's Pizzeria in Kingston, New York.  My friend Julie snapped this shot for me.

So if you go there for a slice of pizza, be sure to pay attention to the wall art.  And do take a few more pictures for me...I'd love to see more detail!!

House of the Wolfings

Today while working my mild-mannered job as a daily reporter...er....librarian, I came across this short but delightful article in December's issue of Wired.

I love the final sentence especially.  "Hey Peter Jackson, need fodder for another trilogy?"  A movie based on Morris' fiction?  Oh yes.  Please.


Also, may I direct your attention to this wonderful collection of images of Debenham House, a gorgeous locale featured in a previous blog post.  This link was shared by an anonymous commenter on the previous blog post!

I love all the comments I get on The Beautiful Necessity, and I always enjoy them, even if I don't always get a chance to reply. 

Happy Pre-Raphaelite New Year!!!

Another Red House Christmas

Gorgeous images of Red House's celebrations of Christmas again this year.  They really know how to do it up in the spirit of William Morris!

Images from last year

A volunteer prepares to green the house.

Gingerbread Brother/Sisterhood...who could this be?

Father Christmas carries old-fashioned wooden toys in  his sack.

The tree is bedecked with paper birds, their designs taken directly from the painted glass windows of the house.

 This year, yesterday, there was a power outage at Red House, so they lit candles during the celebration instead.

Red House's incredible Father Christmas.

If you live in the area, please go visit Red House for Christmas for me!

And if, like me, you live nowhere near, follow the Red House page on Facebook for many more goodies like this!

Trellis in Hysteria

While watching a period film tonight, Hysteria, a movie about...well...the amusing Victorian origin of the vibrator....I noticed a William Morris wallpaper being used in the dining room.

And it's not a commonly seen paper.

William Morris' "Trellis" design has always struck me as almost modern in its geometric background and bold colors.  It's fascinating to see it used in such a vivid colorway in a full room.

A Tangle of Pre-Raphaelite Rapunzels

Stumbling through Tumblr, I came across a post sharing early concept art from Disney's Tangled.  The following images fascinated me, as the faces are a little cartoony, but the color-scheme and overall "feel" are so very Pre-Raphaelite.  The second image especially took my breath away.