Ruskin's

While Ruskin's circumstances are historically accuratehis scandalous marriage, his tragic relationship with a young girl, Rose La ToucheI deliberately made him a more important figure in Alice 's life than he probably was.

A Note about Alice I Have Been by author Melanie Benjamin 2010

It was enlivened—from Effie's point of view—by Ruskin's friendship with the rising young star Millais and oppressed by the almost pantomime grimness of her in-laws, who considered her a spoiled child.

A Far From Model Marriage D.J. Taylor 2011

The great English critic was, in the fall of 1857, apparently in the midst of a "great horse-controversy" with Tinie, the young daughter of Ruskin's close friend Robert Horn.

Carolyn Vega: John Ruskin's "Great Horse-Controversy" Carolyn Vega 2011

And one of the the most interesting things about this letter is not only Ruskin's interpretation of the horse as a figure of social injustice, but also the way in which he distills the concepts of wealth and social station to points that can be easily comprehended by a child.

Carolyn Vega: John Ruskin's "Great Horse-Controversy" Carolyn Vega 2011

Ruskin's final, and lengthiest, point is not about any physical attribute -- it is rather a critical analysis of the role of the horse in fostering social inequality.

Carolyn Vega: John Ruskin's "Great Horse-Controversy" Carolyn Vega 2011

This letter was written at about the same time that we can see a general turning point in Ruskin's work: in the late 1850s he was moving away from art criticism toward more social and political commentary.

Carolyn Vega: John Ruskin's "Great Horse-Controversy" Carolyn Vega 2011

By the end of Victoria's reign, fatigue had set in with the mindless proliferation of historic ornament and Ruskin's and Morris's ideas of a more "natural" and "honest" architecture gave birth to the Arts and Crafts movement.

British architecture: from Georgian to the present day 2011

Ruskin's rudeness about Bolognese painting and Murillo cast a blight over British appreciation of Dulwich's Italian and Spanish works for many years and in 1944 a Doodlebug obliterated the west fa ç ade.

Dulwich's 200-Year-Old Jewel Emma Crichton-Miller 2011

For more information about Ruskin's letter to Tinie, click here.

Carolyn Vega: John Ruskin's "Great Horse-Controversy" Carolyn Vega 2011

These obvious examples are followed by more and more absurd ones in Ruskin's attempt to leave no doubt in Tinie's mind that the horse is the least of all beasts and, it seems, to educate her about other animals.

Carolyn Vega: John Ruskin's "Great Horse-Controversy" Carolyn Vega 2011