in 1865, he discovered auburn-haired alexa wilding, a dressmaker and would-be actress who was engaged to model for him on a full-time basis and sat for "veronica veronese", "the blessed damozel", "a sea–spell", and other paintings. she sat for more of his finished works than any other model, but comparatively little is known about her due to the lack of any romantic connection with rossetti. he spotted her one evening in the strand in 1865 and was immediately struck by her beauty. she agreed to sit for him the following day, but failed to arrive. he spotted her again weeks later, jumped from the cab he was in and persuaded her to go straight to his studio. he paid her a weekly fee to sit for him exclusively, afraid that other artists might employ her. they shared a lasting bond; after rossetti's death wilding was said to have travelled regularly to place a wreath on his grave.