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Fine art

Hope

George Frederic Watts

1891 · Oil on panel · Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Size2:3 ratio

Will it fit? See it to scale above your sofa, bed or mantel

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: George Frederic Watts (1817–1904)
Year: 1891
Medium: Oil on panel
Original size: 66 × 48.3 cm
Collection: Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Movement: Symbolism

A blindfolded young woman in grey-green drapery sits hunched on a dull orange globe, bent over a lyre with one string left. A faint rainbow rings her, and a single tiny star shows at the top of the blue background. Watts finished the first two versions in 1886 and painted later ones for private buyers; in this one he added the rainbow to soften the bleakness, and it stayed with the family of its first owner, Richard Budgett, until 1997. A 1990 sermon on the painting moved the young Barack Obama, who took The Audacity of Hope as a theme. It is in the Yale Center for British Art.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Misty blues, grey-green and a dull orange globe suit a bedroom, study or reading corner on a soft blue or warm grey wall. Pair it with Burne-Jones's The Golden Stairs, hung at 16×24 in a dark wood frame.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Symbolism painting
Era: 19th century (1891)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: grand
Rooms: bedroom, study or library, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or dark wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Hope in the public domain?

Yes. George Frederic Watts (1817–1904) died more than 70 years ago and the work was made and first published more than 95 years ago, so the painting itself is public domain in the US and Europe. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Yale Center for British Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18 and 16×24 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Hope painted, and in what medium?

Hope dates from 1891 and was made in oil on panel; the original measures 66 × 48.3 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 16×24 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 12×18 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Hope we'd choose 16×24.

About this design

Hope (George Frederic Watts) — Hope · George Frederic Watts · 1891. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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