POWERPOINT: GOD AT WO LEADERS YESTERDAY AND T Lillias Trotter BY LEECY BARNETT “Have we learned the buttercup’s lesson yet? Are our hands off the very blossom of our life? Are all things-even the treasures that He has sanctified--held loosely, ready to be parted with, without a struggle, when He asks for them?”1 Lillias Trotter was probably the best artist that no one has ever heard of. Born in 1853 London to a successful stockbroker and his respectable wife, Lillias grew up in the center of the political, economic, and cultural capital of the world, London. As a young child, she displayed an
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extraordinary ability to perceive beauty and flourished as a self-taught artist who took her sketchbook with her wherever she went. In her early 20’s, while on a trip to Venice, she met John Ruskin, who was the arbitrator of cultural taste in 19th century Britain. Ruskin’s opinion could make or break an artist’s reputation, so Lillias was thrilled when he saw her work and took her on as a protégé. In his famous lectures on The Art of England, Ruskin reflected on Lillias’ impact on his thinking: “For a time I used to say…women could not paint or draw. I
