Christina Rossetti Poems (1910) by Christina Rossetti. Illustrated by Florence Harrison

Published in 1910 by Blackie & Son as part of their lavish gift book series, this exquisite volume presents Christina Rossetti’s melancholic and devotional poetry through Florence Harrison’s ethereal illustrations. The book features thirty-six full-page tipped-in color plates and numerous delicate black-and-white drawings that interpret Rossetti’s verses with remarkable sensitivity. Harrison’s Pre-Raphaelite-inspired artwork perfectly captures the poet’s themes of lost love, spiritual yearning, and nature’s transience, with recurring motifs of angels, autumn leaves, and ghostly female figures. Her luminous watercolor palette – all soft golds, dusky blues, and pale roses – creates a visual equivalent to Rossetti’s richly musical verse. The limited edition, bound in full vellum with its gilt-decorated and high-quality color reproductions, makes this one of the most beautiful Rossetti editions ever published.

Florence Harrison (active 1900-1920s)
The enigmatic British artist reached her artistic peak with this Rossetti interpretation. Though biographical details remain scarce, Harrison’s distinctive style blends Pre-Raphaelite intensity with Art Nouveau fluidity, particularly in her treatment of flowing hair and drapery. Her illustrations for this volume demonstrate an extraordinary sympathy with Rossetti’s poetry, often visualizing the poems’ emotional subtext rather than literal content. Harrison’s ability to translate Victorian poetry into visual symbolism places her among the finest illustrators of the Edwardian era, though her work remains undeservedly overshadowed by male contemporaries like Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac.

For collectors:
• Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti, illustrated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1862) – The poet’s brother’s iconic illustrations
• Elfin Song by Florence Harrison (1912) – The illustrator’s own poetry collection with similar artwork

Art Gallery: Florence Harrison – Poems by Christina Rossetti 1910