Artwork Overview
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.