Christina Nilsson, 1843-1921, opera-singer, as Ofelia

Cabanel's 1873 portrait of the Swedish opera soprano Christina Nilsson in the role of Ophelia captures one of the most celebrated singers of the nineteenth century at the peak of her international fame. Nilsson had achieved extraordinary success at the Paris Opéra and in London from the late 1860s onward, and her portrayal of Ophelia in Ambroise Thomas's opera Hamlet — which premiered in Paris in 1868 — became her signature role. The choice to depict her in character rather than as herself situates the portrait at the intersection of celebrity culture, theatrical history, and Shakespearean iconography. Cabanel, whose academic mythological paintings frequently depicted feminine figures in states of reverie or distress, was well suited to the Ophelia subject. The National Portrait Gallery of Sweden's holding acknowledges Nilsson's status as a Swedish national cultural figure despite her international career based in Paris and London.

Oil on canvas blending the conventions of theatrical portrait and Romantic narrative painting. Nilsson-as-Ophelia is depicted with the floral imagery and atmospheric landscape setting associated with the mad scene, requiring Cabanel to merge his academic figure style with a more loosely handled natural background. Costume detail and facial expression are brought into harmony with the emotional register of the literary subject.