Ophelia's Death, plate 13 from Hamlet

Ophelia's Death, plate 13 from Hamlet is a powerful lithograph created by Eugène Delacroix French, 1798-1863, in 1843. This haunting print depicts the famous tragic scene from Shakespeare’s play, illustrating the moment of Ophelia's drowning after her descent into madness. The technique utilizes lithography in black ink on delicate ivory China paper, which was subsequently laid down on a sturdier white wove paper base, a common practice for preserving fine, thin papers used for graphic works.

Delacroix, a central figure of Romanticism, was deeply devoted to the theatrical intensity and emotional drama found in Shakespearean tragedy. This lithographic series, published in Paris, solidified his reputation as an illustrator of literature. The choice of the print medium allowed for broader dissemination of the subject matter, bringing this emotionally charged interpretation of the play to a wider audience in 19th-century France. The artist’s characteristic dramatic rendering captures the waterlogged figure surrounded by swirling drapery and organic forms, emphasizing the poetic tragedy of her demise rather than a literal depiction of violence.

Delacroix's masterful handling of shadow and line in these prints makes them some of the most enduring visual interpretations of Hamlet. This specific impression is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a significant work from the mid-1800s, high-quality images of this piece, like many of Delacroix’s graphic works, are often available for study and reference through public domain initiatives today.