Hester and the Physician 1879 - 1889

Felix Octavius Carr Darley rendered this pen and ink drawing, Hester and the Physician, in the 19th century. Darley was an illustrator, and this piece likely served as an illustration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. Set in a 17th-century Puritan community, the novel deals with themes of sin, guilt, and redemption. Darley’s illustration freezes a moment between Hester Prynne, a woman who has borne a child out of wedlock, and the town’s physician, Roger Chillingworth, who is, unbeknownst to the community, Hester’s estranged husband in disguise. He is plotting his revenge. In choosing to represent this scene, Darley brings into relief the historical context of gender and societal expectations, particularly in Puritan America. Hester is cast as an outcast and is forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her chest, a symbol of her adultery. The emotional weight of this drawing lies in the silence and tension between these two characters. The narrative is driven by gendered moral codes, exploring the personal and communal consequences of transgression.