A Romantic Love Letter written by John Ruskin to Euphemia Gray.

It is believed that this romantic love letter was written December 15, 1847

Euphemia Gray Ruskin

Although this love letter was obviously written by someone who was in love with the person their 5 year marriage did not go down well for both of them.

The marriage had been pressed upon them as they seemed such a good fit and she was in John’s own diary a wonderfully beautiful woman (see portrait on right hand side).

However after 5 years of marriage Euphemia was successful in annulling the marriage on grounds of non-consummation.  John Ruskin never contested the case and kept silent about it however his diaries made reference to the fact that he was repelled by the sight of her pubic hair on the first night of their honeymoon and never went near her after that.

John Ruskin was a well known writer and artist in the classical art tradition and it must have come as a major shock to him to discover what women were really like rather than the style adopted in paintings and sculptures of that time.

You have such sad, wicked ways without knowing it – such sweet silver undertones of innocent voice – that when one hears, one is lost – such slight – short – inevitable – arrowy glances from under the bent eyelashes – such gentle changes of sunny and shadowy expression about the lovely lips – such desperate ways of doing the most innocent things – mercy on us – to hear you ask anybody “whether they take sugar with their peaches”? – don’t you recollect my being “temporarily insane” for all the day afterwards – after hearing you ask such a thing….

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John Ruskin, English writer, artist, designer and philosopher, to his wife Euphemia Gray Ruskin about a year after their marriage. They had been close friends for five years before that. John’s first novel was written for her when she was still only twelve years of age.

After the marriage annulment Effie went on to marry a colleague and student of Ruskin and had eight children by him.

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