Biography of Annie Miller 1835-1925

In 1835 Annie Miller was born to Henry Miller Soldier.

1853. William Holman Hunt (age 25). "Awakening Conscience". A mistress realises the undesirability of her actions. Note the absence of a wedding ring on her finger. Hunt hired a room at 7 Alpha Place, a "maison de convenance" to complete the painting. The painting has many symbols: the cat toying with the broken-winged bird under the table symbolises the woman's plight, a man's discarded glove warns that the likely fate of a cast-off mistress was prostitution, a tangled skein of yarn on the floor symbolises the web in which the girl is entrapped. The frame, designed by Hunt, also contains various symbolic emblems; the bells and marigolds stand for warning and sorrow, the star is a sign of spiritual revelation. [Source. Tate]. The model is Annie Miller (age 18).

1855. John Everett Millais 1st Baronet (age 25). Portrait of Annie Miller (age 20).

1857. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28). "The Harp Player", study of Annie Miller (age 22)".

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 21st January 1858. January 21. Holman Hunt (age 30) and Martineau called on me at 7 and stayed till nearly half-past 10. After desultory chat and looking at drawings, etc., Hunt introduced the subject which principally brought him. Having in prospect to marry Annie Miller (age 23), after that her education both of mind and manners shall have been completed, he wished to destroy as far as was possible all traces of her former occupation, viz, that of sitting to certain artists (those artists, however, being all his personal friends, Rossetti, A. Hughes, Stephens, Egg, Holliday, Millais, Collins and myself), and as mine was the only direct study of her head, as it was, he would hold it a favour if I would give it him and he in return would give me something of his doing that I might like. At first I resisted stoutly, but finding that it was a serious point with him, and that my refusing would be in some degree an obstacle in the carrying out of his wishes with regard to her (which it would be both selfish and unkind and foolish in the remotest degree to thwart) I at last reluctantly assented to give him the study, the most careful and the most interesting (to me) and which I prize the most I have ever made. He thanked me heartily for my compliance. He gave me real pleasure by telling me that she says I always behaved most kindly to her.

Sometime before 1859 Thomas Heron Jones 7th Viscount Ranelagh (age 46) is believed to have had an affair with Annie Miller (age 24) which caused the break off of her engagement with William Holman Hunt (age 31). She subsequently married a cousin of Ranelagh's [her future husband] Thomas Ranelagh Thompson (age 31) in 1863.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1859. 15th October 1859. Went to see F. C., and took her some apples and walnuts. Had a long chat with her. She told me that R. had had a call from Annie Miller (age 24), who had left a card. He is in the habit, she says, of sitting in a large chair o’nights reading Balzac’s novels.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1859. 22nd December 1859. Miss Annie Miller (age 24) called on me in the evening in an excited state to ask me to recommend her someone to sit to. She was determined on sitting again in preference to doing anything else. All was broken off between her and Hunt (age 32). I pitied the poor girl very much, by reason of the distraction of her mind and heart.

Called on Hunt in the evening to tell him of her visit and that, finding she was resolved on sitting again, I should ask her to sit to me instead of to any stranger. He said it seemed now as if she could do nothing else for she rejected (naturally enough) all his efforts to find employment through friends. Finding he could not get her to do what he wanted to make her a desirable wife for him, nor to wean herself from old objectionable habits, he had broken off the engagement; but the whole affair had preyed on his mind for years. The interview was friendly throughout. I had another long look at the "Christ and the Doctors" picture.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1859. 28th December 1859. Annie Miller (age 24) came and sat to me. Rossetti (age 31) came in and made a pencil study of her. She looked more beautiful than ever.

Around 1860. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 31). Portrait of Annie Miller (age 25).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1860. 11th February 1860. Annie Miller (age 25) sat to me. Rossetti (age 31) came in towards dusk and touched on my oil portrait of her begun, and went away with her.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1860. 27th February 1860. Miss Miller (age 25) came to sit to me, but Rossetti (age 31) coming in soon after, I did scarcely any work. Major Gillam paid me 16 gns. for the drawing done at Streatley of the long-grass meadow and mowers. D. G. R. put his initials to the "Borgia" and "Belle Dame Sans Merci."

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1860. 20th March 1860. Miss Miller (age 25) kame to sit to me. Escorted her to the boat. Lent her "Wuthering Heights."

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1860. 18th April 1860. Annie Miller (age 25) sat to me. She asked me for a little drawing of mine, and I gave her a sunset sketch done in the Valley of the Lledr, near "The Fish." Called on Millais. Finding him out I left for him my subscription to his Rifle Corps.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1862. 16th June 1862. Joined Henry and Mrs. Astley at the International Exhibition. Saw Annie Miller (age 27) there looking as handsome as ever, walking with a young man¹, rather a swell.

Note 1. Probably [her future husband] Thomas Ranelagh Thompson (age 34) who she married in July 1863.

1863. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 34). "Dona en Groc" aka "Woman in Yellow". Model Annie Miller (age 28).

1863. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 34). "Helen of Troy". Model Annie Miller (age 28).

On 23rd July 1863 Thomas Ranelagh Thompson (age 35) and Annie Miller (age 28) were married.

Before 28th December 1865 William Holman Hunt (age 38) and Annie Miller (age 30) were engaged. He subsequently broke it off.

1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Drawing of Annie Miller (age 31).

1866. William Holman Hunt (age 38). "Il Dolce far Niente" aka "The Sweetness of Nothing(?)". Model Annie Miller (age 31).

1871. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42). "Dante's Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice". Models: Beatrice: Jane Morris nee Burden (age 31), far left Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 24), far right Annie Miller (age 36).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1874. 23rd March 1874. Elizabeth King left me this evening and Mrs. Miller (age 39) came in her place. Elizabeth is going to marry a man of the name of Waller, in an iron foundry. Paid her her wages and £1 extra as a present and gave her 3 glazed cases, one containing white and black jats, second a weasel and young rabbit and the 3rd a pair of starlings.

In April 1916 [her husband] Thomas Ranelagh Thompson (age 88) died.

In 1925 Annie Miller (age 90) died at Shoreham-by-Sea. She was buried at Mill Lane Cemetery.