Hope

George Frederick Watts painted this iconic allegory in 1886, showing a blindfolded woman seated on a globe, clutching a lyre with only one string remaining. Despite her circumstances, she strains to hear the faint music she can still produce. The muted blue and green palette reinforces the melancholy yet resilient mood.

The painting became one of the most reproduced images of the Victorian era, inspiring countless sermons and speeches. Watts intended it as a meditation on perseverance despite despair. Now at Tate Britain in London, this Symbolist work measures 142.2 × 111.8 cm.