Fotoreproductie van een tekening van Ottilie met het kind van Charlotte uit Goethe's Die Wahlverwandtschaften door Wilhelm von Kaulbach 1863 - 1900

This is an anonymous photographic reproduction of a drawing by Wilhelm von Kaulbach, portraying Ottilie with Charlotte's child from Goethe's novel *Die Wahlverwandtschaften*. In this image, we see a woman, Ottilie, cradling a child in a boat, surrounded by a dense, Romantic landscape. Goethe's novel, deeply embedded in its time, explores themes of love, duty, and societal expectations, reflecting the restrictive roles often imposed on women. Ottilie's character embodies the era’s idealized passivity, yet she grapples with profound emotional and moral conflicts. Consider the cultural constraints placed on women during this period and how Ottilie's story—and its visual representation—both reflects and critiques these limitations. The image invites us to contemplate the inner lives of women navigating a world of prescribed roles and unfulfilled desires.