Orlando 

Edward Robert Hughes made this watercolour painting titled "Orlando" in England. Although undated, the painting reflects the late Victorian era’s fascination with androgyny and literary themes. Orlando is the title of Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel, in which the protagonist lives for three centuries, changing gender along the way. Hughes’ painting may be an interpretation of the literary character or a comment on shifting gender norms. The Pre-Raphaelite influence is clear in its detailed naturalism and dreamy atmosphere. The choice of watercolour lends a softness that enhances the subject’s ambiguous beauty. The painting invites questions about the era's complex attitudes toward gender. To fully appreciate the painting, one might research the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Victorian gender roles, and the literary context of Woolf's novel. By situating the artwork in its social and institutional context, we understand the ways in which art reflects and shapes our understanding of the world.