A family group at Broadlands, mid-1870s, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti
The Cowper-Temples, who inherited Broadlands on the death of Lord Palmerston in 1865, were closely associated with patronage of the arts and spiritualism. A series of Broadlands conferences on the higher life were held at the house in the 1870s. Other visitors included the artist, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, probably pictured here at the right of the image, leaning against the column. The young girl in the foreground is the Cowper-Temples’ adopted daughter, Juliet. Lady Cowper-Temple had a long-standing friendship with Constance Wilde (Mrs Oscar Wilde), and a substantial number of letters from her survives in the archive.
