Waterhouse’s dealing with women is not exceptional. An abundance of artists that deal with women in such a way exists. What’s this way? Well, it’s hard to pin point the exact bounderies of the definition, but one may point out the result that creates women to be god like creatures, sort of divine nymphs. This reverence to women is not born only out of feelings of affection, but also from what seems like fear and helplessness. It seems poetical that he died in 1917. At the end of World War I started a time in which this fear-love towards women looks somewhat out of date.
Links:
Wikipedia article
Adoration of the Magi @ Wikipedia