Painted Dreams: The Art of Evelyn De Morgan at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Walking into Painted Dreams at Wolverhampton Art Gallery felt like stepping through a portal and not just because of the radiant, mythic realms Evelyn De Morgan conjured on canvas. It was also a journey back to 1907, when this very gallery hosted what was then the most ambitious solo exhibition of work by a woman artist in Britain. Recreated in 2024 with care and reverence, the exhibition is a fitting tribute to an artist whose career and convictions were well ahead of her time.

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Blindness and Cupidity Chasing Joy from the City - 1897 - oil on canvas
De Morgan depicts cupidity (material greed), and spiritual blindness as male figures chained together to represent greed and ignorance as they drive the Angel of Joy from the city, Blindness leads Cupidity, who wears a golden crown and carefully hoards his jewels in his cloak. Joy is depicted with golden hair and angel wings. Her floral patterned dress references natural beauty. The message on the scroll in the bottom right advises us that we should value the joys of life over material possesions.

This was actually the first time I’d seen De Morgan’s work and to say I was blown away by it would be quite the understatement. There’s something so striking about the saturated, jewel-toned palette she favoured. Her women are strong and contemplative, often cast in allegorical or mythological roles, with long, elegant, ethereal faces. It really was like walking through a dream world.

But it’s not only the visual language that enchants. It’s what she does with these dreamy scenes; twisting familiar myths, embedding feminist messages, and weaving in spiritual and political commentary.

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The Grey Sisters - 1880-1881 - Oil on canvas
This painting conveys a strong moral message inspired by an episode in the German author Goethe’s tragic drama Faust. Having made a deal with the devil, Faust is visited by four sisters representing debt, want, need and care. Of the siblings, Care alone is able to break through the gates to reach Faust in his moment of misery and isolation.
This painting was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1884 before touring to galleries in several newly industralised town from Burnley to Bournemouth.

The exhibition highlights this beautifully. It traces her evolution from early Renaissance-inspired works to increasingly symbolist, socially conscious paintings, always with exquisite attention to detail and composition.

We learn how De Morgan, born into an upper-class London family, defied expectations to attend the Slade School of Art, exhibit in progressive London galleries, and sell her work to the elite, all while navigating a patriarchal art world that doubted women’s intellectual and creative capabilities.

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The Crown of Glory, 1896

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The Love Potion, 1903

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Cassandra, 1898

Especially powerful are the works that reflect De Morgan’s pacifism and concern for social justice. Her paintings of figures in distress, angels hovering over conflict, and otherworldly scenes of hope and transcendence speak to the psychological toll of war. These aren't just painted dreams; they’re painted protests, painted philosophies, painted visions of another way to live.

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The Storm Spirits - 1900 - Oil on Canvas
The forceful female figures in this painting represent the elements of rain, thunder and lightning, as they brew up a storm causing chaos in the sea below. To the left, Rain pours grey water from a shell, while the red-winged figure of Lightning discharges electric bolts from her open palm. Thunder, at the top centre, looks down on the turbulence, her dark draperies and wings merging with the surrounding thunderclouds. In the centre of the painting, lies a small area of calm that has not been affected by the storm.
De Morgan’s allegorical imagery here may refer to the Boer War, with the safe distant haven signalling a hopeful resolution to the conflict.

And yet, despite the emotional impact and historical importance of the show, one major element was missing: there was no exhibition catalogue. No postcards. No merchandise. Not a single magnet or bookmark. For an exhibition that seeks to revive and re-centre De Morgan’s legacy, this felt like a serious oversight. Visitors like me — eager to take a piece of the show home, to share her work more widely — are left empty-handed.

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Earthbound - 1897 - Oil on canvas
This painting was made in 1897, the year the first Women’s Suffrage Group was formed. De Morgan represents the Angel of Death, draped in dark clothing with her face covered, surrounded by the star-filled night sky. This figure may refer to the lack of identity women held in society at the time. The ageing king at her feet clutches his gold, a reference to privileged men trying to hold onto power. In the distant skies, an angel with arms outstretched represents the promise of the dawning of a new age and the emancipation of women.

Still, the exhibition succeeds where it matters most: it gives Evelyn De Morgan her due. It presents her not as a curious footnote in Victorian art, but as a force, a visionary whose paintings offered, and still offer, both beauty and resistance.

You can find out more about Evelyn De Morgan at the De Morgan Foundation