Victorian poetry constantly struggles with the question of how to represent women. The societal norm is to define women as idealized "angels of the household" or more tragic "fallen women," however this rigid distinction is complicated in literature and art throughout the time period. A variety of other images and portrayals of women in poetry exist during this time period. Perhaps the most interesting of these constructions is the repeated construction, by female and male poets alike, of the woman figure as a metaphor for art, or the ideal artist, in Victorian poetry. Alfred Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" is an essential text to study when considering the female body as a vehicle for the Victorian artist. Book V of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's novel-poem "Aurora Leigh" gives the female voice more agency in discussing the role of women in the artistic community, and how poetry and art should be considered. Lastly, Algernon Charles Swinburne employs the character of Sappho, the essential passionate poetess, as his speaker in "Anactoria." This exhibit provides two pieces of literary criticism for each of these three poems. The objects found here will help to draw connections and illuminate the differences between Swinburne's, Barrett Browning's, and Tennyson's poems in order to gain a deeper understanding of how women are used to represent art in its ideal or pure form.

These academic journal articles and book reviews emphasize the importance of the woman figure in Victorian poetry as a symbol of art or ideal artistry. All six objects in this exhibit approach the question of how Alfred Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, or Algernon Charles Swinburne incorporate and construct a female presence into their art to reflect or comment upon the artist or art itself within their poetry. The scholars consulted in this exhibit examine form, content, and critical approach. Poetic and rhetorical devices are studied, as well as allusion, particularly the Sappho figure. In general, the most critics from this exhibit seem to conclude, or imply, that women are metaphorically and symbolically significant when it comes to the creation or application of art, yet the Victorians were not inclusive to both genders in their fraternities of art. Strangely, the question of why does not appear to be present in this sampling of criticism on the issue. Women are understood to be artists, their needlework or "women's work" provide engaging metaphors for poetry or, more generally, artwork, however, the question of why women are thrust into this idealized role remains largely unanswered.