Cast your mind back to your school art lessons and you might just remember “The Lady of Shalott”. This well-loved painting by John William Waterhouse was painted back in 1888 and remains one of the country's favourite pieces of art. Part of Tate's collection, the work is now back on display as part of a free exhibition at Tate Britain, “Art for the Crowd”.
The famous painting depicts a verse in Alfred Tennyson's 1832 poem, 'The Lady of Shalott'. The figure is afflicted with a curse and can only look at the world through a mirror. When she falls in love with dashing knight Sir Lancelot, she can't resist a glimpse and the curse sees her drifting along a river on a boat, dying before she can find him again.
The story might be a bit bleak but the painting is a classic, plus it was part of Sir Henry's Tate's initial gift that started the entire Tate collection. Satisfy your inner art teacher by checking it out as part of a free display celebrating how art boomed during the Victorian age. There's no end date set for this display so you've got lots of time to see it for yourself.
