Why it matters
Millais shows Shakespeare's Ophelia singing as she floats in a stream just before she drowns, surrounded by a meticulously painted riverbank. Received with mixed responses at first, it is now regarded as one of the most important mid-19th-century paintings.
Did you know?
- Elizabeth Siddal was the model.
- The scene is only described in Hamlet, by Queen Gertrude, not shown on stage.
- It influenced artists from Waterhouse to Ed Ruscha.
Based on the Wikipedia article Ophelia (Millais) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
