Ophelia c. 1869

Victor Müller sketched this Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in Germany in the mid-19th century. The image resonates with a time when artists were breaking free from academic traditions. Ophelia, driven mad by Hamlet's actions, is often depicted in art as a symbol of female vulnerability and tragic beauty, and Müller captures this with delicacy. But the choice of subject also reflected a growing interest in exploring deeper psychological states, mirroring the changing social attitudes toward mental health. Made at a time of evolving artistic institutions, Müller's work can be seen as an early exploration of how art could engage with complex social and emotional themes. By looking at Müller's influences, such as the rise of literary romanticism, we can appreciate how cultural shifts shaped the creation and reception of this work.