In 1857, William Holman Hunt’s rendition of The Lady of Shalott was published in the Moxon edition of Alfred Tennyson's novel Poems. This new edition of the collection of poems was accompanied by lavishly illustrated artwork. The visual poetry book was designed by eight leading artists featuring fifty-four detailed wood-engraved illustration designs. Hunt originally began drawing the sketches for the original design of his piece as far back as 1850, although these preliminary sketches did not feature the entangled elements of the Lady’s loom or the Christian iconography. Over the years, he developed the crucifixion element featured in the right-hand-side roundel of the Lady’s tower. This depiction of religious subject matter was believed to be a result of his travels to the Holy Land between 1854–55. He did not recontinue his portrait of the Lady until at least 1856 when he returned back home to England. As evidenced by Tennyson’s critiques of his work, the original drawing was not favoured by Tennyson as he believed it presented a depiction that did not suit the thematic elements of his original poem. Tennyson’s family is recorded as having said that they were disappointed with many of the artists’ treatment of Tennyson's source material. Hunt went on to create a larger oil-painting version of his The Lady of Shalott portrait circa 1880-1905. This later adaptation featured more prominent Christian theology symbolism that he depicted in the two roundels surrounding the Lady.

Sources:

Inglis, Alison, and Cecilia O'Brien. “'The Breaking of the Web': William Holman Hunt's Two Early Versions of The Lady of Shalott.” NGV, National Gallery of Victoria, June 2014, www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/the-breaking-of-the-web-william-holman-hunts-two-early-versions-of-the-lady-of-shallot/.

Carter, Leighton. “The Struggle between Form and Content in William Holman Hunt's ‘Lady of Shalott.’” The Victorian Web, www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/whh/carter.html.