[Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, Mrs Rossetti and William Michael Rossetti]

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English painter and poet and one of the co-founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Rossetti was born in London, on 12 May 1828. His family and friends called him Gabriel, but later, he put the name Dante first in honor of Dante Alighieri. While studying painting in London, he was fascinated by the work of Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe. In 1847 he discovered the 18th-century English painter-poet, William Blake. By the time Rossetti was 20, he had already done a number of translations of Italian poets. Together with his friends, Rossetti formed and expanded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood by linking poetry, painting, social idealism and a romanticized medieval past. Rossetti’s own paintings were elaborate in symbolism. Elizabeth Siddal who served at first as a model, married him. Around 1860, after ten years of writing poetry, Rossetti returned to oil painting. His marriage ended tragically in 1862 with her death from an overdose of laudanum. Rossetti became increasingly depressed, and buried the bulk of his unpublished poems with his wife at Highgate Cemetery, though he later had them dug up. Rosetti compared his love for his wife to Dante’s love for Beatrice. After the death of his wife, Rossetti moved from riverside London’s Blackfriars to Chelsea, where he lived for 20 years surrounded by extravagant furnishings, exotic birds, and animals. Rossetti grew affluent and enjoyed modest success in 1861 with his published translations of the Early Italian Poets. The publication of his own poems followed in 1870 but criticism of Rossetti's poetry contributed to a mental breakdown in June 1872, so he "spent his days in a haze of chloral and whisky". Toward the end of his life, he sank into a morbid state, darkened by drug addiction and mental instability. He had been suffering from alcohol psychosis. On Easter Sunday, 1882, he died at the country house of a friend, where he had gone in a vain attempt to recover his health. He is buried in the churchyard of All Saints at Birchington-on-Sea, Kent, England. Rossetti remains an important figure in the history of 19th-century English art.

Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the author of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," started photography in the mid-1850s when he was in his 20s. He was an early adopter of the medium and produced many hundreds of photographs during his lifetime. His primary camera was a foldable wood and leather-covered lens camera made by the English manufacturer, Ross. This type of camera, which was popular in the late 19th century, was equipped with a large format lens and was capable of producing detailed and sharp images. Lewis was known to have taken photographs of young girls, including Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for the character of Alice in his books. Some of his photos were also taken as keepsakes for the families of the children he photographed, or as gifts for the children themselves. So who were some of the children photographed? Alice Liddell was the inspiration for the main character in Lewis Carroll's classic novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." She was a real person and a close friend of Carroll's, and he told her the story of Alice's adventures one summer day in Oxford, England. Alice was the daughter of the dean of Christ Church College, where Carroll was a mathematics lecturer, and she was known for her beauty, intelligence, and imaginative spirit. Her interactions with Carroll and her role as the protagonist in his famous story have made her a lasting figure in literary and cultural history. Beatrice Henley was another girl who was depicted in the works of Lewis Carroll, although she is less well-known than Alice Liddell. Beatrice was a young actress who appeared in the productions of Carroll's plays. Effie Millais was the wife of the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais and was also a close friend of Lewis Carroll. She was the subject of poems "A Late Walk" and "Solitude." Her connection to the Pre-Raphaelite movement adds another layer of cultural significance to her story. Gervase Bede (Greville) MacDonald was the younger brother of the British author George MacDonald and was also a close friend of Lewis Carroll. Greville was the subject of the poem "At the Zoo" and "The Three Sunsets". Cyril Bickersteth was the subject of some of his poems too. He was the son of the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, a prominent Anglican clergyman and hymn writer. Hallam Tennyson was the son of the British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and was a close friend of Lewis Carroll. He was depicted in several of Carroll's photographs and was the subject of poems "The Day's Dying" and "The Children's Season." Irene MacDonald was the subject of some of his poems "In the Theater" and "The Little Maid." Irene and Mary MacDonald were two of the five children of Scottish novelist and poet George MacDonald. Carroll was a friend of the family, and the children affectionately called him "Uncle." It was the MacDonalds to whom he read the manuscript of The Adventures of Alice and who urged him to publish the work. Merion Terry (also known as "Polly") and Florence Maud Terry were sisters and were the subject of poems "At the Seaside" and "Echoes." Louisa, Margaret, and Henrietta Dodgson were the sisters of Lewis Carroll. Agnes Grace Weld was a young girl who was depicted in several of Lewis Carroll's photographs. She was the daughter of the Rev. Francis Weld, a close friend of Carroll's. Grace Denman was a young girl who was depicted in several of Lewis Carroll's photographs. She was the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Denman. Maria L. White was a daughter of the Rev. Dr. White, a close associate of Carroll's. Florence Bickersteth was the daughter of the Rev. Edward Bickersteth. The Millais family was a close circle of friends of Lewis Carroll. They were associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement in art and included the famous painter John Everett Millais, as well as his wife Effie Gray Millais and their children. Lewis Carroll was a frequent visitor to the Millais home and photographed their daughter Mary Millais. Dante Gabriel, Christina, and William Michael Rossetti were members of the famous Rossetti family and were too associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement in art. Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a famous painter, poet, and translator, while Christina Rossetti was a poet and writer. William Michael Rossetti was a critic and scholar. Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley, was a British peer and amateur cricketer who is best known for leading a cricket team on a tour of Australia in 1882-1883, which resulted in the creation of the Ashes series. Charles' interest in photographing young girls recently became a subject of controversy, as some have interpreted it as a manifestation of his supposed pedophilic tendencies. Nevertheless, there is no evidence to support such claims, and many experts consider his photographs to be a product of their time and a reflection of Victorian time attitudes towards children and childhood.