ARTICLES/PRESS

About Lilias Trotter

Christian History Magazine, Issue 148
Christian History Institute | 2023

• This magazine issue, titled Lilias Trotter: The life, work, and surprising legacy of an unsung artist and missionary, is devoted entirely to Lilias Trotter. Filled with articles about different components about Lilias’s life and ministry, as well as articles about her contemporaries and influences in her life, this art-filled issue is a wonderful introduction to Lilias Trotter. It also delves into the contexts of her life: art, culture, and missions.

Almost Famous
Victoria Magazine | Miriam Huffman Rockness | July, 2001

• In this article – written when Lilias Trotter was still virtually unknown – Miriam Rockness introduces Lilias Trotter, and her friendship with John Ruskin, to thousands of Victoria Magazine readers.

Lilias Trotter: Contemplative, Artist, Missionary
Renovaré | Miriam Dixon | July 16, 2019

• The subtitle “shaped by service and contemplative prayer, her life was a work of art,” captures the essence of this insightful essay by Miriam Dixon.

Lilias Trotter: A Legacy of Complete Abandonment to God
Renovaré | Miriam Dixon | February 13, 2023

• Miriam Dixon explores Lilias’s decision to “take her art and place it at the feet of Jesus.”

Lilias Trotter: Missionary, Artist
The Conservation Center | February 13, 2014

• The story behind finding and saving five of Lilias Trotter’s journals/sketchbooks, and the methods used to preserve, digitally archive, and create reproductions of them. “One of my first thoughts in paging through the Lilias Trotter journals was, ‘These may be the most exquisite pieces I have the chance to work on.’” ~ Laura Berenger, Conservator of Rare Books

A Renewed Spotlight on Two Women Artists
The New York Times | Eve M. Kahn | May 20, 2016

• Former Antiques columnist for the New York Times, Eve M. Kahn, writes about the intriguing obscurity and rediscovery of Lilias Trotter and her life and art. Quotes from biographer Miriam Rockness are included.

Come and Look: Lilias Trotter, The Artist’s Vocation, and the Mission of God
Plough Magazine | Laura Cerbus | May 6, 2021

• Cerbus explores Trotter’s decision between the respective roles of art and ministry and wrestles with this question: “. . . can these two be reconciled . . . Can Trotter’s story offer anything to the artist?”

Lessons from a Hero: What Lilias Trotter Can Teach Us Today
Christianity Today | Karen Swanson | March 10, 2017

• Swanson, Director of the Correctional Ministries Institute at Wheaton College (IL), writes about how God has used Lilias’s art, words, and life to inspire her to live sold out for Christ and to make Him known.

Seeing Many Beautiful Things: John Ruskin and Lilias Trotter
Baylor University Armstrong Browning Library | Melinda Creech | November 10, 2016

• An informative article about the Ruskin-Trotter connection. Includes an image of a letter from Ruskin to Trotter, as well as images from the Ruskin Library.

For the Blessing of Souls Unknown
Wheaton Magazine | Katherine Halberstadt Anderson | Winter 2015

• Informative article about Lilias Trotter, as well as several Wheaton alumni and staff who played a role in unearthing Lilias Trotter and sharing her life and works with others. “It is thanks to Miriam . . . and a small band of Wheaton College staff and alumni, that the legacy of this 19th-century artist and missionary will not, like the unseen flower of Thomas Gray’s famous elegy, ‘waste its sweetness on the desert air.’” (excerpt from the article)

Lilias Trotter: Surrendering Dreams to Pursue God’s Calling
Revive Our Hearts, True Women Blog | Miriam Huffman Rockness | January 28, 2016

• Article about Lilias Trotter by Miriam Huffman Rockness. Part of a series: “25 Women Who Impacted the World for Christ.”

Lilias Trotter and the Language Nobody Knows
DesiringGod.org | John Piper | October 6, 2004

• In this devotional article from 2004, Piper uses the words of Lilias Trotter to shed light on a spiritual insight presented: how do we reach people who may not yet have the language or understanding to receive the words/truths being spoken?

The Legacy of Lilias Trotter
Pioneers.org | Marti Wade | March 15, 2021

• Marti Wade, Editorial Director at Pioneers-USA, writes about Lilias Trotter as a trailblazer and an inspiration for a new generation.

Measuring Success: One Woman’s Counter-Cultural Path
Patheos | Laura Waters Hinson | March 16, 2016

• In this article, film producer Laura Waters Hinson writes about the impact of Lilias Trotter on her own life. “I am compelled by the life and vision of Lilias Trotter—a woman most have never heard of, but who is perhaps one of the greatest female artists of her time and whose undiscovered mark in women’s history teaches a beautiful lesson in defining success.” (excerpt from article)

Lilias Trotter: Talented artist, dedicated missionary
Christian Today | J John | September 3, 2022

• Introduces Lilias Trotter to readers, highlighting her as a woman of vision, decision, and determination.

Lilias Trotter and Living by Dying
Credo Magazine | Allyson Todd | September 9, 2019

• “Lilias Trotter is an example to all Christians of what a life committed to death looks like.” (excerpt from article)

Isabella Lilias Trotter: Zwischen Begabung und Berufung
Salvation + Service | Ben Bornowski | Summer 2016

• Download Issue 47 – the article in this Austrian Christian magazine begins on page 29. Written in German.

About the Film

All of the following articles and press releases are specifically about the film, Many Beautiful Things. Some have some insightful reflections about Lilias. Others have some intriguing perspectives about themes and/or people in the film.

All-but-forgotten Artist Trotter Brought into the Limelight in new Film Many Beautiful Things
The Washington Times | Eric Althoff | February 15, 2016

• Preview of the film before it aired. Quotes from film producer, Laura Waters Hinson.

Many Beautiful Things: The Life and Vision of Lilias Trotter (review on pages 45-46)
The Companion | Jim Spates | 2016

• Positive and well-informed review by Ruskin-scholar. Spates writes: “All of us who care about Ruskin— and, now, Lilias Trotter—owe Miriam Rockness sustained applause! Many Beautiful Things is a fine and inspiring film. Do see it and take your friends with you when you go. You won’t be disappointed.”

Exclusive: Watch Trailer for Art Doc Many Beautiful Things, Q&A with John Rhys-Davies
Paste Magazine | Jim Vorel | June 16, 2015

• “I am as proud of this as anything I’ve ever done.” ~ John Rhys-Davies (excerpt from this article)

Promoting the Good, the True, and the Beautiful: A Q&A with Filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson
Breakpoint | Warren Cole Smith | March 9, 2016

• “. . . the life of Lilias Trotter was worth telling . . .she was a remarkable person . . . I was so proud to be a part of telling her story.” ~ Laura Waters Hinson (excerpt from the article)

When God Calls You to Leave the Art World
Christianity Today | Katelyn Beaty | March 9, 2016

• A compelling interview by print managing editor Katelyn Beaty with filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson about Lilias Trotter.

Brush with Greatness: The Cinematic Story of Forgotten Christian Artist Lilias Trotter
First Things Magazine | John Murdock | March 2, 2016

• Movie review by John Murdock, professor at the Handong International Law School. “With lush visuals from the English countryside, the deserts of North Africa, and the watercolors of its subject Lilias Trotter, the latest from filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson pleases the eye while asking questions of the heart.”

Many Beautiful Things: Interview with Filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson
The Well – Voices (InterVarsity) | Tish Harrison Warren | March 8, 2016

• Award-winning author, Warren, interviews Laura Waters Hinson about Lilias Trotter and the film, Many Beautiful Things. “[Lilias Trotter] helped reorient my own sense of how I define my success and my value.” (LWH quote from interview)

Many Beautiful Things: Lilias Trotter and the Theology of the Cross
Christ and Pop Culture | Rebecca Miller | March 4, 2016

• A summary of the film, combined with closing thoughts and reflections about the “theology of the cross,” based on the message of the film and the life of Lilias Trotter.

Lord of the Rings Star John Rhys-Davies Documentary about Great Artist-Turned-Missionary
The Christian Post | Emma Koonse | April 21, 2015

• Promotional article months before the film, Many Beautiful Things, came out.

5 Questions with Many Beautiful Things Director Laura Waters Hinson
Boundless (Focus on the Family) | Josh Rogers | February 29, 2016

• Interview with filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson.

Local Director Raises Existential Questions in Many Beautiful Things
The GW Hatchet | Regina Park | February 24, 2016

• Film review with quotes from film director, Laura Waters Hinson.

Many Beautiful Things Movie: Why Have we Never Heard of Lilias Trotter?
Faith and Culture: Live Wisely/Love Well | Lael Arrington | April 2016

• Film review combined with author’s reflections on why we haven’t heard of Lilias Trotter and how she is impacted by Lilias’s life and ministry. Arrington writes: “Lilias chose to love and serve in hiddenness, pouring out her life without reserve to the least of these in North Africa . . . That is what so inspired me about the movie, about her life. It was the simplicity of her motives.”