Rossetti's Wombat: Pre-Raphaelites and Australian Animals in Victorian London

by John Simons

A light-hearted account of an improbable side of Victorian England, this history tells of the pet wombat owned by Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the late-19th century fad of owning Australian animals as pets. This examination also looks at the way a wombat participated in the delicate relationships between the men and women in the Pre-Raphaelite circle—particularly Rossetti’s emotional affair with Jane Morris, wife of his friend and colleague William. Fully illustrated with drawings and etchings of the period, this work will appeal to those with an interest in Victorian England, the Pre-Raphaelites, as well as wombat lovers the world over.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Animals

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mandy Szewczuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

With his tongue firmly in his cheek, the author did a delightful job of spinning a history of the Victorian menagerie, the hot mess of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and some odd conjecture all together in one slim tome. While Rossetti's wombat Top lived a brief (though anecdote-packed life) with the painter, the story of Australia's animals coming face to face with London society is a bigger one, and the book really excels at showing how those unique creatures influenced writing, home décor, and even cuisine. While there's a lot of conjecture, and some of it a little wild by the end, there is no attempt on the author's part to make this seem like an authoritative volume. Instead, you're left desiring a pet wombat yourself.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a lot of the information imparted in this book consists of conjecture, the author readily admits to it and, in the process, paints a vivid picture of the treatment of Australian animals in London in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Because there's so little surviving information about him, only small sections of the book focus directly on Top himself, but the rest is equally as charming and interesting, and Simons always tries to link seemingly irrelevant stories back to wombats, if not Top specifically. At times, absurd and funny; at others, particularly in detailing the treatment of many of the animals described, truly tragic. Overall, a delightful little book.

[Hester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rossetti bought a super-cute wombat and it died (see cover).

Simons tried to write an entire history of the wombat. The first section, where he placed the wombat in context was amusing, with dense but sparkling prose. He writes about wombats (with lots of illustrations) and about how Victorians interacted with exotic animals. I wondered if he were vegetarian because he seemed very upset that early explorers killed and ate the endearing mammals (wombats, kangaroos, etc) that they found. Then I wondered if I should be vegetarian because I found myself a upset, too. If I were in Australia ninety years ago, however, I would have been served (and I would have eaten) kangaroo. So why be upset that sailors did the same?

The second section, where Simons tried to talk about the particular wombat and how it fit into Rossetti's social life, was weak. It felt like he had no material, but he had plenty. The wombat represented his old friend, who he wanted to cuckold (it sounds farfetched, but he gave them the same nickname and he drew sketches which support this view). Simons assumes we know all about this love triangle. I ask: how do we know there was a love triangle? Why does he think it remained unconsummated? What were the consequences of William Morris marrying a working class girl? Why did his investments start disappearing? Why is he so convinced Morris and Georgina Burne-Jones were in love? How did the children deal with all these goings-on? What had Rossetti's marriage been like, and how did his wife die?

The first half is enjoyable, the copious illustrations are great, and Christina Rosetti's wombat poem is incredibly fun if you understand some Italian.

[Steve Platt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but the author certainly not only held my attention, but also had me asking more questions and set me off on an adventure to discover more about these people and their world. It appears that the Victorian world was not all we or certainly I had envisaged. I expected polite teas and the doffing of hats, but instead got an insight into a world of suspect relationships with other people's wives and a large menagerie of antipodean creatures. Having said all this, I feel that the title of the book is a misnomer, as the wombat in question rarely appears, not surprising as the poor creature only lived for 2 months! I now despair of Victorian times, but shall yet endeavour to investigate them more,

[Tweedledum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curioser and curioser or is it crueller and crueller? Or just plain weird...?

[Alexandra Chadderton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I’ve learned a lot about how to acquire exotic animals in Victorian England!!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, but I wanted more from it.

[Djinnaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was... okay. It had some good information about the animal markets in England. However, much of the information on Rossetti was full of sophmoric conjecture. Still, it had some tidbits of first source information that was fun to acquire. Meddlesome armadillos, for one... You don't get that in your standard art history text.

[K.A. Laity]

What is it about medievalists? We just can't be bound by narrow genres and time periods.

[Sharon Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now I want a pet wombat-- and really, who wouldn't?

Rossetti's Wombat may not be the most scholarly of art tomes but it's a highly entertaining read.