Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind

One of the original Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Millais became a favourite painter of the Victorian era. The title comes from one of Shakespeare's poems;

Blow Blow thou winter wind

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude…

…Though thou the waters warp,

Thy sting is not so sharp

As friend remember'd not.

This painting is from the end of his career, and helps explain Sir John's popularity with the crowds at the Royal Academy. At the centre is the hapless dog, divided in its loyalty to the shivering mother with her child, and the man who is deserting her.

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