Portraits of DGR, part 3

Rossetti's comments for Moore article on Browning.

Rossetti, William M. "Reminiscences of Robert Browning." The Review of Reviews 1.5 ( May1890): 403. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.

This third and final installment of the series covers portraits of Dante Rossetti from 1972 to his death in 1882.

Rossetti begins this article with discussion a photo by appearing in Caine's volume on Dante Rossetti. He speaks of the photo with equanimity but characteristically, does not reflect the strife between himself and Caine, with the latter telling William, "Of all the men of our inner circle, you (though his brother) played the most inconspicuous part of all, so far as I could see," a claim which Rossetti said he answered with moderate firmness (Letters fn328). This exchange came in the course of William Rossetti's insistence that Caine had no legal right to publish Dante Rossetti's "Dennis Shand," and the threat of legal action by William Rossetti resulted in the poem's excision from the book (Letters fn328).

Family portraits done by a variety of familiar inner-circle Cheyne Walk associates (a list which doesn't include Caine, despite his claim) are discussed, as well as some more photography. Dante Rossetti's deathbed portrait by Shields is noted and the circumstances discussed.

See also part one and part two.

90 May The Review of Reviews

Rossetti comments on Browning's vision anomaly: one eye nearsighted, one farsighted. Moore weaves that into a metaphor for Browning's artistically typical duality of vision that is apparent in his poetry.