pondering a pug pup 1875

thanks the-athanaeum.org. public domain

Here's a Pre-Raphaelite pug: Study of Sukey, a Pug Puppy by Frederick Sandys (English, 1829-1904).  Sandys was a marvelous draftsman, as you can readily see here, but he also had a certain talent for being led by his tenderer feelings. His marriage cooled after three years, but he never divorced his wife; he had an affair with a Romany woman who modeled for the Pre-Raphaelites, then met and stayed with the actress Mary Emma Jones for the rest of his life and a staggering amount of sons and daughters.  (Ten of the couple's children survived their father.)  I can't help but think he knew something about vulnerability, which he portrays with detail and feeling here.