Who Were The "Pre-Raphaelites"?

The Pre-Raphaelite art movement of the mid-19th century sought a return to  themes from classical literature and pastoral life of the mid-16th century, before the time of the painter Raphael.
The emotions Pre-Raphaelite artists sought to invoke were sympathy, pathos,  and awe. The paintings' protagonists were martyrs  -- Christ, the Lady of Shallot, Chatter ton, war widows -- or innocents, such as young rural children, the Virgin Mary, and the blind.
As a reaction to ever-industrializing Britain, the paintings referred to a mythical past, using heavily symbolic imagery and dramatic colours designed to incite sublime emotions.
Chief practitioners were John Everett Millais, with images of the lives of Christ and peasants and from Shakespeare; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, with The Annunciation; Homan Hunt, drawing inspiration form Medieval or Biblical literature; Ford Maddox Brown, with the Crusades and happy peasants; and Edward Bourne-Jones, with images from Greek mythology.
Women were portrayed as full-bodied and rose-lipped with flowing hair and garments. Their sensuality belied the ostensibly chaste themes of the paintings. The models were invariably the painters' mistresses.
The genre extended to the Arts and Crafts Revival in home décor. The most famous practitioner was William Morris, with his elaborate floral wallpaper and fabrics and simple furniture.
Pre-Raphaelite art fell out of favour when it came to be viewed as overly sentimental, bathetic, and maudlin.