Tennyson (1809–1892) was the most successful Victorian poet and was named Poet Laureate by Queen Victoria in 1850, following the death of William Wordsworth. His fame and popularity in the mid-nineteenth century rested in large part on his Arthurian poems, such as “The Lady of Shalott,” which became a popular subject among visual artists of the period (Walter Crane’s painting of the dying Lady of Shalott is shown nearby). This heroic bust was made by the Scottish sculptor William Brodie, who worked in Edinburgh and specialized in portrait busts. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1857. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
