The Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood was an artistic movement in mid-Victorian England, harking back to the simplicity of the Italian painters who worked before Raphael (1483-1520). Amongst its founders were John Ruskin and D.G. Rossetti. Its members were both artists and writers. Christina RossettiΓÇÖs poem In the bleak midwinter typifies Pre-Raphaelite clarity and spareness of style.
