Until Her Death. Artist: Frederic Sandys. Engravers: the Dalziels. 1862. Wood-engraving, 4 x 5 inches. Good Words (1862): 312.
The woman's hand rests in a potted plant, which makes this image look very much like a depiction of Keat's “Isabella and the Pot of Basil.” Other versions of this subject include George Scharf's illustration to the 1854 Moxon edition of Keats (Tate, no. 138) and earlier paintings of the subject, such as the Isabellas by William Gale (1852), W. F. D'Almaine (1853), and C. Earles (1854); see Art Journal 14 (1852): 138; 15 (1853): 172; 16 (1854): 128.
Details and related material
Scanned image and caption by Simon Cooke. Text and formatting by George P. Landow. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.
Further Reading and image resources, suggested by Dennis T. Lanigan
Elzea, Betty. Frederick Sandys 1829-1904. A Catalogue Raisonné. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd., 2001, cat. 2.B.53, 215-17.
Until her Death (preparatory drawing in pen and ink). Collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, accession no. 01D29. Art Gallery of South Australia. 26 August 2025.
Until her Death (wood engraving on paper). Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession no. 1280.18-3. National Gallery of Victoria. 26 August 2025.
Elzea, Betty. Frederick Sandys 1829-1904. A Catalogue Raisonné. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., 2001, cat. 2.B.53 215-17.
Created 2 November 2012
Last modified (further reading added) 26 August 2025