Esther Wood
Esther Wood was an English art critic and journalist who wrote Dante Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelite Movement. She was also a political activist as an early member of the Fabian Society and the Independent Labour Party.
Biography
Wood was born Esther Walker in 1866 in London, England. She was the daughter of Henry Walker FGS.Wood trained as a journalist described herself as a "writer of art." In 1891, she was awarded the Crawshay prize for two essays on Percy Bysshe Shelley. In the book Dante Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelite Movement, Wood argued that the Pre-Raphaelites reinvented a mediaeval tradition, praised how their refusal to use stylisation provided the viewer with a sense of realism, and addressed criticisms of the movement. Wood also edited the works of George Eliot, providing introductions for her novels, and wrote numerous articles for journals and magazines principally on subjects relating to art or poetry.
Wood was an early member of both the socialist organisation the Fabian Society and the Independent Labour Party, and also joined the Pharos Club. In 1902/03, she served on the executive of the Fabian Society. She also chaired the Chelsea ILP branch.
Alongside her writing and political activism, Wood qualified as a sick nurse and also aspired to become a singer.