Ophelia is a tragic figure of William Shakespeare, the fiancé to Hamlet.  She is driven to insanity and ends her life by drowning.  Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine -- to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her -- but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic.
 

It was a large undertaking bringing a body of water into the studio for this conceptual shoot.  I was fortunate enough to have the talented Jessie Leben in my studio again to help me pull this off.  She had to endure the water for nearly 4 hours while we captured her image on silver and glass. 
 

The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia in the wet plate process. Featuring Jessie Leben. "The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia in the wet plate process."The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia in the wet plate process."The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia in the wet plate process."The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia"
 

"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" in wet plate"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" "The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" in wet plate"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" "The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" in wet plate"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia"
 

"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" in wet plate"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" "The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia" in wet plate"The Drowning of Shakespeare's Ophelia"