Charles Kean as Hamlet in <i>Hamlet</i> by William Shakespeare

Daniels's portrait of Charles Kean as Hamlet depicts the famous actor-manager in one of Shakespeare's most celebrated roles. Charles Kean, son of the legendary Edmund Kean, was known for his historically accurate staging and his attempt to make theater both scholarly and spectacular. Theatrical portraiture was a significant genre in Victorian Britain, documenting the stars of the stage for their admiring public.

Daniels's oil-on-canvas technique captures the actor in character with attention to costume and the theatrical gesture that defined Kean's performance style. The lighting and composition create a dramatic atmosphere appropriate to the Hamlet role.