Queen Katherine's Dream c. 1825

William Blake created "Queen Katherine's Dream" using watercolor and graphite, a medium which allowed him to express complex emotional and spiritual states in a way that was quite unique for his time. Blake lived during a period of immense social upheaval marked by revolutions and the rise of industrial capitalism which influenced his visionary and often critical perspective. In this artwork, inspired by Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Blake delves into the dream of Queen Katherine of Aragon, a woman caught in the throes of political and marital strife as Henry seeks to divorce her. The ethereal figures surrounding the Queen represent her inner turmoil and the spiritual forces at play. Blake presents Katherine as a sympathetic figure, challenging the patriarchal narratives of history that often demonized or dismissed women who defied male authority. There is a dreamlike quality to the work, a sense of being caught between worlds that speaks to the liminal space women often occupied in society. Blake's interest in alternative spiritualities and his belief in the power of imagination allowed him to create images that resonate with both personal and collective experiences of oppression and transcendence.