Frances Polidori

Frances Mary Lavinia Rossetti (née Polidori; 27 April 1800 – 8 April 1886) was a British educator who was the daughter, wife, sister and mother of important writers and artists. She was also a model of the paintings of her son Dante. Some photographic portraits of the Rossetti family by Lewis Carroll in the Victorian era are permanently displayed at the National Portrait Gallery, London. Biography Frances Mary was born in London on 27 April 1800 to the Italian exile Gaetano Polidori, former secretary of Vittorio Alfieri, and the Englishwoman Anna Maria Pierce, an Anglican, private governess to high-born families, and daughter of a successful writing teacher. Of her four brothers, the best-remembered is John William Polidori, Lord Byron's personal physician. Frances received an excellent education from her parents and, at the age of 26, she married the Italian poet, patriot and exile, Gabriele Rossetti. They had four children: Maria Francesca, born in 1827; Dante Gabriel, born in 1828; William Michael, born in 1829; and Christina Georgina, born in 1830. The couple devoted themselves to the education of their children. While the boys were sent to boarding school, the education of the Rossetti girls was taken up enthusiastically by their mother. Frances, whose native language was English, was also an accomplished speaker of both French and Italian. She played a fundamental role in this educational enterprise.