Miranda 1895

Thomas Francis Dicksee painted Miranda with oil on canvas sometime during the 19th century. Miranda is a character in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’, who has lived on an island with her father since childhood and has never seen other members of society. Dicksee presents Miranda as an ideal of feminine beauty, a common theme of the Pre-Raphaelites who greatly influenced Dicksee. Her flowing white dress, loose hair, and graceful pose reflect the aesthetic values of the time. The painting invites reflection on the prevailing social norms of the time, particularly in relation to the idealization of women. To gain a richer understanding of the artwork, one could consult 19th-century literary and art criticism. This historical context reveals the complex interplay between artistic expression and society's ever-evolving values. By doing so, we recognize that the meaning of art is always reliant on social and institutional context.