Editorial Comment for this plate:

“OPHELIA.”

AS A PHOTOGRAPH from life, this picture of “Ophelia,” by Mr. H.P. Robinson, conveys a truer idea of the character as described in Shakespeare’s master-piece, than any photographic representation we have ever seen. The face, though plainly English, and perhaps, rather old, (sic- odd?) nevertheless well expresses our idea of the character in the mad scene, when she enters the second time, carrying a wild profusion of flowers, and crowned with the same appropriate emblems.

✻ ✻ ✻ “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray you, love, remember: and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.” ✻ ✻ ✻

The picture is one of the “Twelve Photographic Studies” which our publishers brought out near the close of last year. Mr Robinson in a recent note expressed himself as well pleased with the manner in which the photogravure plate had pre served and rendered the peculiar qualities of his negative. “It is a splendid rendering,” he writes, “of what I feared would be a difficult negative to deal with. It is better than the original.” (p. 77)

The subject of the portrait is unknown, please contact this website should you have insight.