The movement had a lasting influence, but no direct followers. All the original members of the Brotherhood changed their styles with the notable exception of Holman Hunt who applied his Pre-Raphaelite ideals to the illustration of biblical events.

Perhaps their most original contribution, notably in the work of Ford Madox Brown, was the convincing depiction of the light effects of the open air on landscapes and figures, anticipating the French Impressionists of the 1870s.