A Victorian Visionary: The Life and Art of Henrietta Rae Henrietta Emma Ratcliffe Rae, a name often whispered with a touch of reverence – a testament to an artist who defied the constraints of her time and carved out a remarkable space for herself within the male-dominated world of 19th-century art. Born in London on December 30, 1859, into a family steeped in artistic heritage—her father, James Ward, was a celebrated animal painter, and her mother descended from a lineage of accomplished sculptors—Rae’s journey was one shaped by both privilege and profound challenges for a woman seeking rec…