Fanny Eaton

Fanny Eaton was an artist’s model and domestic worker in the 19th century, known primarily for her work with Pre-Raphaelite artists between 1859 and 1867.

Fanny Antwhistle was born into slavery in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica on the 23rd of June 1835 to a woman named Matilda Foster. There was no father included on her birth certificate, so it is assumed she was illegitimate.

After slavery was abolished, Fanny and Matilda moved to England and ended up in London by 1851. There, she was employed as a domestic servant. In 1857, Fanny married a man named James Eaton. The couple went on to have ten children together.

Simeon Solomon did some of the first drawings of Fanny when she began modelling around 1859 to bolster the money she earned working as a charwoman. His painting, ‘The Mother Of Moses‘, was the first painting of her displayed to the public. Captured by her beauty, she quickly became a popular model for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Paintings of her challenged the beauty standards of this time.

By the age of 46, Fanny was widowed and employed as a seamstress. Several years later, she was living on the Isle of Wight while working as a cook for the family of a wine merchant. For the last decade of her life, she lived with her daughter Julia’s family. She died of cancer on the 4th of March 1924.

Famous paintings she modelled for:

The Mother of Moses by Simeon Solomon

The Slave by William Blake Richmond

The Beloved by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Head Of A Mulatto Woman (Mrs Eaton) by Joanna Boyce Wells

The Young Teacher by Rebecca Solomon

_{Disclaimer: All of this information comes from my own research and knowledge, so if I have missed anything out or got something wrong please let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it. Thank you!}

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, prosperity, fortune, beauty, fertility, joy and love, and is one of the major goddesses in Hinduism. She is the Mother goddess of Hinduism and is the wife and shakti of Vishnu. She is especially celebrated and worshipped during Diwali.

According to myth, Lakshmi is said to have been born floating on a lotus at the beginning of the universe. She is most often portrayed having four arms to represent the four Hindu life goals – purpose (artha), love (kama), liberation (moksha) and righteousness (dharma). As Vishnu appears on Earth in different forms, she accompanies him as his wife and takes on other forms and names as well. Cows, elephants and owls are sacred to her. Lakshmi forms the Tridevi with the goddesses Saraswati and Parvati.

Among different text and branches of Hinduism, Lakshmi takes many form and has many stories, but this is one of my favourite ones:

For years, Lakshmi’s presence ensured that the warrior god Indra successfully protected the world against the asuras (demons). One day, out of hubris, Indra rejected a gift of sacred flowers presented to him by a sage. The sight of him throwing such a precious gift to the floor offended Lakshmi, so she left the realm of the gods and entered the Milky Ocean, taking her blessings of good fortune and success with her.

Without her, Indra could not protect the world from the asuras, and the world fell into darkness and disrepair. People became selfish and no longer made offerings to the gods. As the gods became less powerful, the asuras began to take over the world. To get Lakshmi to return to the world, Vishnu told the gods they had to churn the Milky Ocean. The Milky Ocean contained many treasures, including the elixir of life, which would grant the gods immortality.

The gods churned the ocean for a thousand years until, eventually, a beautiful woman emerged from the water on a lotus flower. Lakshmi had been reborn into the world. Because of her blessings and the gods’ new immortality, they were able to defeat the asuras and restore the earth.

_{Disclaimer: All of this information comes from my own research and knowledge, so if I have missed anything out or got something wrong please let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it. Thank you!}

Chang’e

Chang’e is the Chinese goddess of the moon. She was married to Hou Yi, a fabled archer from whom she stole an elixir of immortality before becoming the moon goddess. Her story plays an important role in the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

There are many versions of the myth of how she became the moon goddess, but this one is my favourite.

Before she became the moon goddess, Chang’e is said to have served in the palace of the Jade Emperor. One day, she broke a porcelain pot and was sentenced to life as a mortal as punishment. There, she was known throughout the country for her incredible beauty. At this time, there were ten suns in the sky and night never came. The world was so hot and unbearable that one day Hou Yi shot down nine suns, creating the day-to-night cycle we know now. As a reward, he was given an elixir of immortality by the goddess Xiwangmu. Honoured though he was, Hou Yi did not drink the elixir, as he did not want to live forever if Chang’e could not live with him. Instead, he gave the elixir to his wife for safekeeping.

One day, while Hou Yi was out hunting, a rival of his came to try and steal the elixir form Chang’e. Fearful of what would happen if the thief took the elixir, she drank it herself. She began to float towards the heavens, so she pointed herself towards the moon as she didn’t want to leave her husband and it was the closest heavenly body to earth. Hou Yi missed her so much that he left her favourite desserts out for her every night (a tradition which is continued by the Chinese people during the Mid-Autumn Festival).

It is said that a white rabbit keeps Chang’e company on the moon after some gods disguised themselves as beggars and asked for food from it and it sacrificed itself for them as it had none, so they made it immortal and sent it to live in the Moon Palace.

_{Disclaimer: All of this information comes from my own research and knowledge, so if I have missed anything out or got something wrong please let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it. Thank you!}