Be a part of an insightful symposium exploring the issues of gender, race, domestic labour, class and faith at the centre of the A Young Teacher, by Rebecca Solomon.
Believed to be the first Jewish woman to become a professional artist in England, Solomon’s work shone a light on inequality and prejudice. Long overlooked in the canon of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Solomon’s otherness as a Jewish, female painter prevented her work from attaining the acclaim deserving of her artistic skill.
In A Young Teacher, Solomon portrays a scene between an ayah and the two young children in her care. The ayah, modeled by Fanny Eaton—who was born in Jamaica and frequently posed for Pre-Raphaelite artists—challenges traditional representations of 19th-century Britain. The depiction of Eaton as ethnically South Asian raises significant questions about racial perceptions of the time.
Solomon’s paintings offer profound explorations of identity, belonging, and the intricacies of everyday life. Through her art, she confronted stereotypes and asserted her presence in a society that often marginalised her.