Tennyson reading "Maud"

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Date: 1855

Materials: Pen with brown and black ink and brown ink

A favourite poem

At a social gathering in the home of Robert and Elizabeth Browning on the evening of 27 September 1855, Rossetti made an impromptu sketch of Alfred Tennyson reading one of his favourite poems, 'Maud'. The drawing was offered to his hosts as a gift, but not until Rossetti had made at least two copies of it: one was done for Elizabeth Siddal, and this is the second.

Night of the gods

According to William Rossetti, "The Poet Laureate neither saw what [Rossetti] was doing, nor knew of it afterwards. His deep grand voice, with slightly changing intonation, was a noble vehicle for the perusal of mighty verse. On it rolled, sonorous and emotional . . . Truly a night of the gods, not to be remembered without pride".