Study for "Life and Thought Emerging from the Tomb"

This chalk drawing displays De Morgan’s adept handling of the material, which she uses to contrast the male and female figures. For example, white chalk has been applied thickly on the figure of the knight to indicate the flash of light across the hard metal surface of his armor. In the figure of the girl, on the other hand, the chalk has been applied in subtle, feathering strokes, perhaps smoothed with the tip of the artist’s finger, to simulate the soft flesh of her bare arm. As the subject of this drawing attests, De Morgan shared the fascination with medieval themes that characterize the work of many Pre-Raphaelite artists, including her uncle John Roddam Spencer Stanhope.