Toby Edward Rosenthal (American, 1848–1917)
Elaine
INV-7232
Toby Edward Rosenthal (American, 1848–1917)1874
paintingamerican arts
Date
1874
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
97.9 × 158.8 cm (38 9/16 × 62 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Maurice Rosenfeld
Toby Edward Rosenthal found inspiration for this composition in Idylls of the King, a 19th-century version of the Arthurian legends written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In the poem, Elaine dies of a broken heart after being spurned by Sir Lancelot; Rosenthal’s painting depicts Elaine’s postmortem voyage from Astolat to Camelot: “In her right hand the lily, in her left / The letter—all her bright hair streaming down.” Rosenthal’s artistic choices reflect the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, a group of English artists who favored highly naturalistic details, richly colored surfaces, and subjects drawn from medieval literary sources. After it was purchased by an American patron, Rosenthal’s work sparked Elaine hysteria: clubs were formed in her honor, dirges and waltzes were composed, and copies of Idylls of the King sold out in bookstores.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
German Workman
Toby Edward Rosenthal American, 1848-1917
Cézanne
Paul Cézanne (French, 1839-1906), Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868-1940), Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867-1947), Maurice Denis (French, 1870-1943), Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954), Ker-Xavier Roussel (French, 1867-1944), Paul Signac (French, 1863-1935), Félix Edouard Vallotton (French, born Switzerland, 1865-1925), and Aristide Joseph-Bonaventure Maillol (French, 1861-1944) written by Octave Mirbeau (French, 1848-1917), Théodore Duret (French, 1838-1927), Léon Werth (French, 1878-1955), and Frantz Jourdain (French, 1847-1935) printed by Moderne Imprimerie (French, 20th century) published by Bernheim-Jeune (French, founded 1906)
Hommage des artistes à Picquart
Lithographs by Pierre Émile Cornillier (French, 19th century); Lucien Perroudon (French, 19th century); Louis Anquetin (French, 1861–1932); Adolphe Ernest Gumery (French, 1861–1943) Herman René Georges Paul (French, 19th century); Maximilien Luce (French, 1858–1941); George Manzana-Pissarro (French, 1871–1961); Hippolyte Petitjean (French, 1854–1929); Louis Armand Rault (French, 19th century); Théo van Rysselberghe (Belgian, 1862–1926); Joaquim Sunyer y Miró (Spanish, 1875–1956); and Félix Edouard Vallotton (French, born Switzerland, 1865–1925) published by Paul Brenet (French, 19th–20th centuries) and Félix Thureau (French, 19th–20th centuries) preface written by Octave Mirbeau (French, 1848–1917)