Abstract
In 1855, John Everett Millais begins one of his most intriguing paintings, the painting that will mark his career as one of the founders of the PRB. His models are a group of young girls, all of them under 13, allegedly chosen for their youth and beauty. Between 1856 and 1868, John Everett Millais and his wife Effie had eight children and all of them sat for the paintings of their father. But children and childhood are far from being used as mere accessory models. On the contrary, they are central to Millais's work. Many of Millais's paintings are technically organised around one or several children, exploring their activities and environment. In this sense, the figure of the child seems to acquire a primordial importance and becomes a source of inspiration. The figures of children, as we shall see further, allows the development of a large number of themes. Millais explores the world of a child from a variety of points of views which have social and philosophical implications. Many are overtly sentimental, while others are less so. However, almost all of them have the character, atmosphere and symbolic of the PRB. Broadly speaking, John Everett Millais's paintings of children fall into two main groups. On one hand, he has produced numerous portraits of children with adults. On the other, he painted a variety of portraits of children on their own. These two groups can be repartitioned throughout the years, the beginning of Millais's career (up to 1862) being mostly devoted to groups of children and children, accompanied by adults. From 1862 onwards, Millais produced a greater number of portraits of children alone with a few exceptions.
