The sea maidens

Issue six: poem by Courtney Bates-Hardy

In this week’s poem, Courtney Bates-Hardy draws from the allegorical imagery of The sea maidens (1886), a medium-sized oil painting by Evelyn De Morgan. This artistic depiction of sisterhood was a response to Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The little mermaid’; it is one part of a trilogy, which also includes The little sea maid and Daughters of the mist. ‘I was introduced to the painting by Sacha Coward’s book, Queer as Folklore,’ writes Bates-Hardy. ‘Evelyn de Morgan's relationship with her muse (and maid), Jane Hales, was rumoured to be very close and intimate’. Bates-Hardy’s stunning poem offers a new approach to the continuing discussion of female empowerment and the beauty of belonging.

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The sea maidens (1886) by Evelyn De Morgan