Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born in London in 1828. He was the son of a poet Gabriele Rossetti and Frances Polidori.
With William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millias he founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood .
When Rossetti’s wife Elizabeth Siddal died of a Laudanum overdose in 1862 ,Rossetti became increasingly depressed and buried many of his unpublished poems with her, a gesture that backfired somewhat because at a later date he would have them dug up.
After his first collection of poetry was heavily criticised in 1872, his decline increased with an addiction to chloral hydrate and alcohol.
When Rossetti died in 1882 ,he considered he had failed in many of his achievements.
However Rosseti’s fame increased into the 20th century ,not only due to his own work but also due to the influence on the artists around him.
His poetry although less well known than his paintings are now admired for their eroticism and sensuality especially his collection The House of Life.
