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[| **John William Waterhouse**] 1849-1917

The Lady of Shalott 1888

Oil on canvas support: 1530 x 2000 mm frame: 2000 x 2460 x 230 mm painting

This painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson’s poem //The Lady of Shalott//. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot.With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings ‘her last song’. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolise life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river. This work is currently on display at
 * Venue || [|Tate Britain] ||
 * Theme || [|British Art 1500 - 2011] ||
 * Room || [|1550-1880] ||

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I chose this picture because I like how the picture illustrates the poem so well. You can see the despair of the curse on her face. There is also a movie made about this poem that I watched when I was a little girl and I never knew there was a connection between the two until I found this painting.